When Rice says Rumsfeld made tactical errors, she is wrong.

[Montagnard]

Rumsfeld did not make tactical errors; he made strategic errors and on a large scale. The causalities over the last three years are a direct result of the incompetent strategic planning that Rumsfeld forced on the military.

The incompetence of Rumsfeld’s war plan is glaringly evident when you read COBRA II by Michael R. Gordon and General Bernard E. Trainer.

Rumsfeld badgered Tommy Franks into reducing the number of troops required for the war, so that Rumsfeld could demonstrate and validate his dream for a leaner and faster combat force. One of the results of that troop reduction was a lack of force to stabilize Iraq after the fall of Saadam.

The smaller force also required Franks to by-pass without securing major storage areas for munitions. That would also have included WMD sites had WMD existed. Rumsfeld is lucky that the reason given for going to war was a lie, otherwise he could have fulfilled the worst predictions by allowing WMDs to fall into the hands of terrorist.

To say that Rumsfeld was inept in his strategic planning is kind, the more correct charge would be criminal incompetence.

[Caution]

1. Thank you. It's semantic, but words matter.

[MADem]

2. Rumsfeld didn't badger Franks, Franks just rolled over

Tommy was a "no guts, no glory" kinda guy. Good ole "go along, get along" Tommy. And he KNEW BETTER, in his heart of hearts. Not fit to wipe Eric Shinseki's ass, IMO...

[RaleighNCDUer]

3. One small point where a distinction must be made --

Rummy wasn't LUCKY there were no WMDs. Rummy KNEW there were no WMDs. I, and most the world, suspected it and saw it confirmed when they were not used against our troops. He had the intelligence reports, knowing things we did not know, so my only conclusion must be that he knew.

[Montagnard]

4. That is true.....

There did not seem to be any doubt that he knew or he would have planned to secure...of course he also could have been just plain criminally stupid.