Marine Chief: Disbanding Iraqi Army Was Big Mistake

[Botany]

www.usnews.com/usnews/news/articles/070314/14marine.htm?s_cid=rss:site1

Anybody want to get that barn door?



The Marine Corps commandant, Gen. James T. Conway, told reporters this morning the biggest mistake made in Iraq remains
the disbanding of the Iraqi Army-and that the effect of the decision still resonates today.

"The Iraqi Army was the most respected institution in the country," Conway said, adding that its anticipated help was "central"
to American prewar planning for rebuilding efforts in Iraq. Instead, Conway said, following the dissolution of the Iraqi military,
former Iraqi Army members turned against U.S. forces in places like Anbar province, a volatile, Sunni-dominated area currently
under the control of U.S. marines.

[sinkingfeeling]

1. But, but, Bremer got the Medal of Freedom for it!

[Rydz777]

2. Conventional wisdom

"Disbanding the Iraqi Army was a mistake" is becoming conventional wisdom for those collecting excuses for the debacle. The commanding officers of that army were Baathist Sunnis basically loyal to Saddam. Giving them continuing control of the country would not likely have been accepted by the Shiites. Toppling Saddam assured civil war, and the mistake was not disbanding the army but (1) invading the country in the first place, and (2) then settling in to occupy it. Iraq had always been held together by authoritarian government, and Bush blindly blundered into a complex situation of which he had absolutely no understanding. He thereby set off a firestorm in which our troops are now being consumed. Bring our troops home NOW.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

3. ...

did that horse just steal Nancy Grace's wig off the top of her head?

[sakabatou]

4. Naw, REALLY?!

[Morgana LaFey]

5. What is that horse doing with

Anna Nicole Smith's wig??

Sorry to be OT, but seriously, that can't be a real photo of a real horse with a real mane and tail like that -- can it???????