Tiassa
07-28-03, 01:22 AM
Wolfowitz: US has done "stupid things" (Seattle Times) (http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/text/2001221428_iraqnotes24.html) "Some conditions were worse than we anticipated, particularly in the security area," said Wolfowitz, who returned Tuesday from a five-day tour of Iraq.
He named three: First, no Iraqi military units "of significant size" defected to the American side during the war.
"Second, the police turned out to require a massive overhaul," Wolfowitz said at a Pentagon news conference.
"Third, and worst of all," he said, was the underestimation of resistance.
Many Iraqis also expect the impossible from the Americans, Wolfowitz said.
"Sometimes it's nice to have the reputation for being almost godlike, but, frankly, I think it produces this phenomenon that if something isn't happening, it must be because the Americans don't want it to happen, and they begin to invent the most elaborate reasons to explain it," Wolfowitz said. "And the fact is — you know it — we often just make mistakes. We do stupid things." General Comment
I'm tempted to leave this without comment. Thank you, Mr. Wolfowitz. It's a good start.
There are, of course, the obvious things that, as a leftist, I'm supposed to say. Can we not and pretend I did? I mean, really, it's well enough to say, "You forgot about the biggest mistake: starting the war in the first place."
But that seems to be well beside the point by now.
Then again, I'm wondering: What is up with Wolfowitz and his mouth?
I'm actually starting to develop a genuine affection for the guy: he's like morbid comic relief. I mean, maybe he's just, by my perception, misguided. Perhaps he really can't keep up the façade for long, and cops to the truth for the simple reason that he must.
But he's also very clever about it. He protects his president all the same. And if you can jerk around the political scene like that at will ... frankly, I've gotta take my hat off to you. He makes Carville and Stephanopolous look like rank amateurs. And they could put on a circle jerk of legendary proportions.
So there's that.
This story actually slipped by me until I caught a reference to it in the Times' Letters to the Editor page (http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/opinion/2001260097_sunlets27.html). You can find the expected leftist smarm on that page. None of it's mine, though.
There's actually a funny letter at the end of the page ... imagine that.
:m:,
Tiassa :cool:
He named three: First, no Iraqi military units "of significant size" defected to the American side during the war.
"Second, the police turned out to require a massive overhaul," Wolfowitz said at a Pentagon news conference.
"Third, and worst of all," he said, was the underestimation of resistance.
Many Iraqis also expect the impossible from the Americans, Wolfowitz said.
"Sometimes it's nice to have the reputation for being almost godlike, but, frankly, I think it produces this phenomenon that if something isn't happening, it must be because the Americans don't want it to happen, and they begin to invent the most elaborate reasons to explain it," Wolfowitz said. "And the fact is — you know it — we often just make mistakes. We do stupid things." General Comment
I'm tempted to leave this without comment. Thank you, Mr. Wolfowitz. It's a good start.
There are, of course, the obvious things that, as a leftist, I'm supposed to say. Can we not and pretend I did? I mean, really, it's well enough to say, "You forgot about the biggest mistake: starting the war in the first place."
But that seems to be well beside the point by now.
Then again, I'm wondering: What is up with Wolfowitz and his mouth?
I'm actually starting to develop a genuine affection for the guy: he's like morbid comic relief. I mean, maybe he's just, by my perception, misguided. Perhaps he really can't keep up the façade for long, and cops to the truth for the simple reason that he must.
But he's also very clever about it. He protects his president all the same. And if you can jerk around the political scene like that at will ... frankly, I've gotta take my hat off to you. He makes Carville and Stephanopolous look like rank amateurs. And they could put on a circle jerk of legendary proportions.
So there's that.
This story actually slipped by me until I caught a reference to it in the Times' Letters to the Editor page (http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/opinion/2001260097_sunlets27.html). You can find the expected leftist smarm on that page. None of it's mine, though.
There's actually a funny letter at the end of the page ... imagine that.
:m:,
Tiassa :cool: