Bill, I believe we were busy killing the military, not hiring them.
I think we could sit down together and with perfect 20-20 hindsight explain what should have been done. It began with the speedy takeover of Iraqi space. I doubt the brass realized how quickly we would arrive in Baghdad and Basra. I'm sure we expected greater resistance. When we didn't get it, the tanks thundered forward and we were in Baghdad, looking at each other, wondering what to do. As for the police, they were Saddam's police. Could they be trusted? As it is, most of Iraq seems to be working reasonably well. Business is thriving, children are going to school, people have plenty of food. There are poor people in Iraq - as there were before we arrived. As there are in most countries. A few hundred terrorists are putting fear into the hearts of Iraqis as they kill Americans and Iraqis somewhat indiscriminately. If the Americans left (perish the thought) the thugs would probably use the same tactics on the Iraqi citizens. And so it goes. Harry -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Friday, November 07, 2003 6:21 PM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: [Futurework] Bush's preliminary step to withdrawal? Harry, I'm not sure that I will give you that in that this could have been anticipated as a wise step under almost any scenario. If we had simply continued to pay Iraqi police and military salaries, we would have seen much less resistance. Even John McCain agrees [:>)}. Bill On Fri, 7 Nov 2003 15:59:33 -0800 "Harry Pollard" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes: > Bill, > > This is "initially". > > Harry > > > -----Original Message----- > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Sent: Friday, November 07, 2003 7:46 AM > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Subject: Re: [Futurework] Bush's preliminary step to withdrawal? > > Keith, > > On this, I think that Bush is in for the long haul. He is making very > unpopular moves in the US by calling up more military reserves. It > appears that he intends to reduce the size of the troops and bring > Iraqis on board in large numbers. This is what he should have done > initially. > > Bill > > On Fri, 07 Nov 2003 15:14:26 +0000 Keith Hudson > <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > writes: > > One can't help feeling intensely suspicious of the apparent > change of > > heart of Bush when he announces that he wants to bring > democracy to > > the Middle East and that this was what his invasion of Iraq was > all > > about. > > This, > > despite the US being close allies of dictatorships in Saudi > Arabia for > > 50 years and even with Saddam Hussein himself for 15 when > encouraging > > him to wage years of warfare on Iran. No longer, it would seem, > did > > Bush invade Iraq because of international terrorism, nor > because of > > Weapons of Mass destruction. (The Special Task Force of 2,000 > American > > troops which have apparently been searching for WMDs for months > have > > not turned up anything yet. WMDs were never there in the first > place, > > as the UN Inspectors > > > > believed, and as further recent evidence suggests -- see the > article > > below.) > > > > The US death toll reported in today's Independent article below > > (142) has > > already been augmented this morning by another four soldiers > killed in > > a downed helicopter and possibly two more in other incidents on > the > > roads. > > For electoral reasons a year from now, Bush may now already be > > deciding to leave well before next summer. One or two > particularly > > dramatic terrorist attacks could cause the American electorate > to > > swing ferociously against Bush at almost any time from now > onwards. > > > > Of course, some believe, including the present writer, that > Bush > > invaded Iraq in order to ensure that US and UK oil corporations > would > > be able to develop the immense northern oilfields from which > Saddam > > had mischievously excluded them. But, in the biggest mistake > that Bush > > (or, probably, > > Cheney) > > made, these corporations refuse to be involved until there's a > > legitimate Iraqi government in place and not the > American-imposed > > Coalition Provisional Authority. > > > > Two or three more speeches along the lines that Bush has just > made > > would allow him to segue right out of Iraq -- throwing it a > > constitution and holding an election along the way which will > ensure a > > Shia majority. > > If he > > makes sure that the Shias have sufficient well-armed forces at > their > > > > disposal, this ought to ensure that the previous oppressors, > the > > Sunnis, will be subjugated (or chased into Syria) and, if and > when > > Saddam emerges from hiding, he will be quickly caught and > executed. > > > > This scenario may seem unlikely -- even absurd at the moment -- > but I > > don't see any other way out of Bush's predicament and possible > > humiliating defeat next November. He's not gained what went to > Iraq > > for -- WMDs or oil > > -- so > > he might as well leave now as craftily as he can. He's been > able to > > con most of the American electorate so far, so he ought to be > able to > > swing this new strategy across them as a piece of international > > > statesmanship in the name of bringing democracy to one more > country. > > > > Just one postscript for non-UK readers: there are likely to be > large > > > > demonstrations against Bush when he arrives. The usual state > > procession down the Mall has already been cancelled and it's > > exceedingly unlikely that Bush will be able to show his face in > public > > in the usual way. > > > > Keith Hudson > > > > <<<< > > BUSH CALLS IRAQ MISSION 'WATERSHED FOR GLOBAL DEMOCRACY' > > > > Rupert Cornwell > > > > Washington -- Less than two weeks before what may be a stormy > state > > visit to London, President George Bush yesterday cast himself > as a new > > Ronald Reagan, vowing to bring freedom and democracy to the > Middle > > East and beyond > > -- just as Mr Reagan did with the Soviet Union, in his "evil > empire" > > > > address to the British Parliament 21 years ago. > > > > Speaking on the day he signed into law the Bill authorising $87 > > > billion of extra funding for Iraq and Afghanistan, Mr Bush set > out his > > vision of a modernised and democratic Iraq serving as example > > throughout the region. > > > > Separately, administration officials confirmed that they had > received > > a behind-the-scenes proposal, supposedly from Saddam Hussein, > offering > > a deal last March to stave off the looming war. But the contact > was > > rebuffed by the CIA. > > > > Though experts said the move may have been of little > significance, > > critics presented the episode as further proof that Mr Bush > would let > > nothing interfere with his determination to go to war. > > > > In his speech yesterday Mr Bush once again made no reference to > > > mounting US casualties in Iraq, including two more fatal > attacks > > yesterday, bringing to > > 142 the death toll since he declared the end of major combat > > operations. > > Nor did he refer to the strains on the military, and > yesterday's > > Pentagon announcement that 132,000 troops and reservists will > be sent > > to relieve units who have been in the region for a year. > Instead he > > stressed that failure in Iraq would embolden terrorists around > the > > world, but "the > > > > establishment of a free Iraq will be a watershed event in the > global > > > > democratic revolution." > > > > That, clearly, is the message he will deliver during his > address to an > > audience of dignitaries in London on 19 November, the > centrepiece of > > his state visit. And his references to the dismissive reaction > to Mr > > Reagan's speech in Westminster Hall left no doubt that he is > expecting > > more of the same for himself. "It seems hard to be a > sophisticated > > European and also an admirer of Ronald Reagan," Mr Bush > yesterday > > quoted from a newspaper > > > > editorial of the time, recalling how some observers had > pronounced the > > "evil empire" speech to be "simplistic and naive, and even > dangerous". > > In fact the current unpopularity of Mr Bush and his > administration -- > > widely perceived in Europe as high-handed, arrogant and > ignorant -- > > eclipses that of Mr Reagan in 1982, at the height of the Cold > War. But > > Mr Bush stressed he would not be deterred. > > > > Sixty years of Western nations excusing and accommodating the > lack of > > freedom in the Middle East had done nothing to make the world > safer, > > the President told the National Endowment for Democracy here. > "It > > would be reckless to accept the status quo," he declared, > defending > > his doctrine of preemptive action as "a forward strategy of > freedom". > > He attacked the "outposts of oppression" in Cuba, Zimbabwe, > North > > Korea and Burma, but praised Morocco and other Arab states such > as > > Yemen, Bahrain and Jordan, who are gingerly taking steps > towards > > democracy. He called on Egypt and Saudi Arabia to move faster > along > > the path of reform, and delivered > > > > familiar tirades against leaders in Iran and Palestine who were > > > blocking their peoples' aspirations to freedom. > > > > The Independent -- 7 November 2003 > > >>>> > > > > > > Keith Hudson, Bath, England, <www.evolutionary-economics.org>, > > <www.handlo.com>, <www.property-portraits.co.uk> > > > > _______________________________________________ > > Futurework mailing list > > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > http://scribe.uwaterloo.ca/mailman/listinfo/futurework > > > > > > ________________________________________________________________ > The best thing to hit the internet in years - Juno SpeedBand! > Surf the web up to FIVE TIMES FASTER! > Only $14.95/ month - visit www.juno.com to sign up today! > _______________________________________________ > Futurework mailing list > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > http://scribe.uwaterloo.ca/mailman/listinfo/futurework > > _______________________________________________ > Futurework mailing list > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > http://scribe.uwaterloo.ca/mailman/listinfo/futurework > > ________________________________________________________________ The best thing to hit the internet in years - Juno SpeedBand! 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