Neocons on "the single biggest mistake the United States made in Iraq"

[ProSense]

Wildly Off the Mark

Posted by Shawn Brimley

It is amazing to me that these guys aren't simply going quietly into the night. In a speech last night to the American Enterprise Institute, Douglas Feith (former Undersecretary of Defense for Policy and a leading player in the Iraq fiasco) made the following points, according to the Washington Post's Tom Ricks:

The decision to carry out "a lengthy occupation was, I believe, the single biggest mistake the United States made in Iraq;" and
On the decision to throw tens of thousands of Iraqi military personnel out of work, Feith said that, "some of the problems resulted from implementation, rather than the policy itself."
This is part of an emerging neo-con narrative in which they will assert that the policy (re: neo-cons) of invading Iraq was brilliant but the implementors (re: the military) are at fault for grabbing defeat from the jaws of victory.

But perhaps the biggest sick joke of the night was audience-member Paul Wolfowitz's response after the speech, according to Ricks:

After Feith's talk, Wolfowitz commented that he thought it was "pretty much on the mark."

This coming from a guy who mocked former Army Chief-of-Staff General Eric Shinseki's estimate that it would take several hundred thousand troops to secure Iraq by saying it was "wildly off the mark."

They're not going quietly into the night because they're trying to distance themselves from one of the biggest disasters ever, the Iraq war.

The fortresses of Baghdad.

[groovedaddy]

1. It's called "spin," plain and simple

The PNAC position paper in 98 called for permanent military bases in Iraq, which certainly sounds like an occupation, doesn't it?

[zbdent]

2. well, with them already trying to say that it was the Dems who wanted to rush into war ...

is it such a surprise?

[EVDebs]

3. Mistake based on 34 yr old plans tweaked for a new set of oilfields DoD planned this long ago

Document reveals Nixon plan to seize Arab oil fields
'70s embargo sparked 'last resort' measure, says British memo

by Lizette Alvarez, New York Times
Friday, January 2, 2004

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2004/01/02/MNG8G427D61.DTL

"The British warned in their assessment that any occupation of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Abu Dhabi might have to last as long as 10 years. The use of force would also anger and alienate Arab countries and irritate the Soviet Union, although a military confrontation with the country would be unlikely, the document stipulated.

The best part is that British intelligence knew even then and warned us that a 'ten year' occupation would be needed. Why ? To stabilize oil prices and further enrich the oil companies and Saudi princes ?

We at least now know of why the further mistake of building 'permanent bases' in Iraq continues on...and why the Quakers were spied upon by the NSA, read on:

http://www.fcnl.org/iraq/bases.htm

To answer their question, Mr Bush lied. We're not leaving even if they 'stand up'.

[peacetalksforall]

4. The wat I see it - Israel vs Barons/Corporations with overlap.

Feith - acts (acted) for Israel.
Cheney - acts for Barons/Corporations

By arrangement and agreement and sharing the operations.

Maybe there is a little blaming going on.

The Barons/Corporations needed occupation - unless they were told/promised that a simple, quick invasion would seal the deal for the oil and gas and there would be no resisitance and only simple security measures - on the words of Chalabi, Rumsfeld (read Feith), and Cheney.

[L0oniX]

5. Paul Wolfowitz is the antichrist

[izquierdista]

6. Nutcases yell the loudest

after the straight-jacket is on and they are being carted off to the loonybin. :silly:

I think that the American Psychiatric Association, having rightly removed homosexuality from their list of mental disorders, needs to recognize neo-conservatism as one. People displaying this disorder are anti-social, bordering on psychotic and need treatment, not public office and editorial column inches.

If I am ever sentenced to the firing squad, I want Paul Wolfowitz to be the marksman. After I hear "ready, aim, fire!" I'll take off the blindfold, walk over to his corpse and spit on it. :rofl:

[ProSense]

7. Stupid is Forever

Don’t blame me. Stupidest man in world says biggest mistake in Iraq not his fault: “The decision to carry out “a lengthy occupation was, I believe, the single biggest mistake the United States made in Iraq,” said Douglas J. Feith, who as undersecretary of defense for policy was a key figure in the drive to war.”

Stupid is forever. Maybe longer. It’s a sad commentary on life that once an idiot in power makes a decision, everyone else has to live with it. And some continue to die with it. The single biggest mistake the United States made in Iraq? How about invading it?