-Caveat Lector- The War on Iraq – Neo-Con Waterloo?
by Jim Grichar (aka Exx-Gman) And when he goes to Heaven To St. Peter he?ll tell Another Marine reporting, Sir I?ve served my time in Hell ~ Anonymous Marine, WWII The late Eugene Sledge concluded an article (p. 307) in The Costs of War, edited by John Denson, with that poem from an anonymous Marine. In his article, which was composed from notes he used in a speech to a "Costs of War" conference sponsored by the Ludwig von Mises Institute in May, 1994, Sledge described vividly the horrors of World War II as faced by those who had to fight in ground combat – those who faced death because of decisions made by politicians. Today, politicians ignore experiences cited by Eugene Sledge and others, and President George Bush is no exception. As a result, he and his neo- con handlers may be heading towards their own – and the U.S.?s – Waterloo in the current war on Iraq. By allowing himself to be bamboozled by these neo-con bozos into believing that the U.S. could defeat Iraq quite easily, Bush launched the war with inadequate troop strength and insufficient heavy weapons, notably tanks and other armored fighting vehicles and heavier mechanized infantry divisions. Press reports indicate that another 100,000 – 120,000 U.S. troops will be sent to fight in Iraq (including an armored division), almost 50% more than the 275,000 American and British troops now in that area and more than double the number of U.S. ground combat troops – estimated at about 75,000 – now fighting in Iraq. Because it will take a number of weeks – up to several months – to deploy these additional forces, the war, in this active combat phase, will drag on. And it will likely cost more than the $75 billion Bush is seeking to fund it and the extra foreign aid to our various "allies." If Iraqi guerrilla fighters, reportedly including an influx of new al Qaeda recruits, get military aid from Russia, China and other countries and start a campaign of terror against U.S. troops, things could go downhill after any initial U.S. victory. Shock and Awe – A Mendacious Strategy of Selling War on the "Cheap" The neo-con campaign of "Shock and Awe" – so-called precision bombing of key Iraqi military command and control targets coupled with rapid troop movements designed to accept the surrender of Iraqi troops who would be shocked and awed by our firepower display – flopped. Iraqis have not surrendered en masse. In fact, surprise of surprises, some Iraqis may even view their fighting as a defense of their homeland. One wonders what kind of intelligence reports suggested that the Iraqis would just surrender quickly, or did the neo-cons ignore and cover up such reports in order to get us to attack Iraq? This is certainly not a war on the cheap, as was promoted by Bush?s neo-con mafia. Press reports further confirm this. With a combination of his usual trickery, possibly terrorizing his own populace into fighting, and old- fashioned guerrilla warfare, Saddam and his armies appear to be holding out, sometimes giving ground grudgingly in their fight. The Iraqis have been helped by severe sandstorms, which forced the U.S. to ground its aircraft and helicopters. And Saddam?s military appears to be using what weapons they have – including tanks – to disrupt U.S. supply lines and attack U.S. combat forces, which are stretched thin. In a battle just several days ago, Iraqis reportedly knocked out two U.S. M-1 Abrams tanks using anti-tank missiles. Because of Bush?s and his neo-fascist advisers? arrogance and mendacity – wanting to get a U.S. base in Iraq to control Middle Eastern oil and possibly to protect Israel, many U.S. and British servicemen and women are going to get killed and wounded in this horrible and unnecessary war and likely subsequent military occupation. Costs of this war will likely rise well above current estimates, which appear to be of the lowball variety. Lawrence Lindsey, a former economic adviser to George Bush, got into hot water – before being fired – by citing an estimate of $200 billion for the cost of invading and occupying Iraq. Lindsey may well prove to be correct. And the toll on Iraqi civilians – in terms of lives lost, injuries, and collateral damage to their property, will increase further as the fighting drags on and possibly gets more intense. Just as sickening is the fact that no senior U.S. military commanders "fell on their swords" by resigning and speaking out that our force was inadequate prior to the U.S. attack. Even if only one Major or Lieutenant General had done so, that might have raised enough questions to prevent the attack from taking place. Apparently, our senior military – even if they disagreed with Donald Rumsfeld and the other neo-cons – believed they could eventually win the war but with more casualties. And they probably believe that this war will boost support for even more defense spending! Inadequate Ground Forces, Lack of Land, and Bad Weather Prior to the U.S. attack on Iraq, some senior military officers argued with Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and other neo-cons that their notion of a new type of warfare – a shock and awe battle, with so- called precision bombing of targets coupled with an attack by a small force of lightly armed but highly mobile troops – had too much of a chance of failure. Senior military, especially Army officers, tend to be cautious and like to have significant force superiority before attacking. Additional forces – which would have made the war more costly and also would have made the war more odious to the American public, were probably dismissed as "redundant" by the novice neo-cons. However, they are often needed as wars never turn out as planned. Early on, retired General Norman Schwarzkopf stated that a successful war on Iraq would take a force of 500,000 – with a lot of heavy armor, just like he used in Desert Storm, primarily because the purpose would be a complete takeover and occupation of Iraq. And now other retired Army officers, such as former NATO commander Gen. Barry McCaffrey, have said that the U.S. is stuck in the battle – it has no choice but to win the war – and therefore it needs more troops, with at least one being an armored division, to win decisively. Almost as important, the U.S. did not have adequate land space for launching an attack with a sufficient number of troops, equipment, and supplies. Kuwait is a small country; it did not have enough space for the U.S. to stage a large enough force to win a war against Iraq quickly. And the fact that this support and staging area is small makes supplying U.S. forces that much more difficult. It also makes it easier for Iraqi forces to attack U.S. supply lines, as they are fewer and concentrated. That is why the U.S. was willing to pay a $30 billion bribe to Turkey, as the military wanted an additional base for launching a combined air and ground assault on Iraq. Without it, that made the task much more difficult and enabled Saddam to concentrate his ground defenses on the southern front. Finally, the U.S. picked a bad time of the year to attack Iraq. The sandstorms and forthcoming heat, if the war continues to drag on as expected, will further help Saddam and his minions stretch out this war in the hopes that the U.S. will negotiate some settlement and pull out. Further Signs of a Neo-Con Waterloo While the U.S. is still likely to win the initial war on Iraq, it will be more drawn out and with more casualties on both sides, than the neo-cons stated. And even if the U.S. wins the initial war, guerrilla activity may spring up later to threaten U.S. troops stationed there. Thus, if things start going bad and no clear victory over Saddam is in sight, then watch for further resignations from Bush?s neo-con war advisers. They have gotten the U.S. into this fix, but, like Richard Perle, they will try to slither out before getting blamed for the mess they have gotten us into. They do not want to be around to answer for the death and destruction of property that their madness has brought about. War is Hell All this current and future horror – the deaths, injuries, destruction and waste of resources – could have been avoided had more of the American public availed themselves of the experience and wisdom of the late Eugene Sledge and the others who correctly raised their voices on the high costs of war at the conference in 1994. We can do our part, by exposing the mendacious neo-con warmongers. Encourage your friends, colleagues, associates, and even ideological foes to read The Costs of War. It might help keep us out of future wars. March 29, 2003 Jim Grichar (aka Exx-Gman) [send him mail], formerly an economist with the federal government, writes to "un-spin" the federal government's attempt to con the public. Copyright ? 2003 LewRockwell.com Find this article at: http://www.lewrockwell.com/orig3/grichar11.html http://www3.addall.com/New/compare.cgi?dispCurr=USD&id=35041&isbn= 0765804875&location=10000&thetime=20030328235533 &author=&title=&state=AK TITLE: Costs of War: America's Pyrrhic Victories by Edited by: John V. Denson ISBN: 0765804875 Publisher: Transaction Publishers Publish Date: 11/01/1998 Binding: Paperback , 450 pages , 2 edition List Price: USD 24.95 The Costs of War: America's Pyrrhic Victories by John V. Denson (Editor) Editorial Reviews Midwest Book Review Deeply rooted in the ideals of the Found Fathers, The Costs Of War: America's Pyrrhic Victories is unique in its combination of historical scope and timeliness for current debates about foreign policy and military intervention. The Costs Of War will be of interest to historians, political scientists, economists and sociologists, as well as the non-specialist general reader with an interest in the financial, economic, social, cultural, political, technological, and humanitarian costs of war. Especially those costs reflected in terms of inflation, debt, taxes, and the damage to morality and American personal liberties, and to civilization at large. The Costs Of War is an impressive body of scholarship and a benchmark publication that belongs on the shelves of academic, military, and community library shelves everywhere. -- This text refers to the Hardcover edition. Forwarded for your information. The text and intent of the article have to stand on their own merits. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, this material is distributed without charge or profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving this type of information for non-profit research and educational purposes only. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Do not believe in anything simply because you have heard it. Do not believe simply because it has been handed down for many genera- tions. Do not believe in anything simply because it is spoken and rumoured by many. Do not believe in anything simply because it is written in Holy Scriptures. Do not believe in anything merely on the authority of teachers, elders or wise men. Believe only after careful observation and analysis, when you find that it agrees with reason and is conducive to the good and benefit of one and all. Then accept it and live up to it." 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