Just to show you how screwed up Iraq is...

[Maestro]

I was speaking to a very young man, under 25 probably, who now works for my school district's security detail. He is nice, well shaven, good looking kid and seems like an easy going guy. He is now working on a forestry degree because his ultimate goal is to be a forest ranger. Anyhow, he served 13 months in Iraq. We spoke about the experience. I asked if he had enough of what his unit needed. He said that they did except for water. For some reason, the military could not get them water! I happened to ask if a translator was assigned to his unit. He said there was and he began to talk about the gentleman. He said he was a Kurd. He stated that most of his unit's work was in the Sunni triangle. The raging resentment between Kurds and Sunnis was so evident that the unit had to strip the translator of his weapon because he would grab Sunnis on the street and immediately put them in a headlock, put the gun to the their heads screaming at them as if they had committed some crime. The Kurd translator was a nice man according to my new friend but in the presence of Sunnis he would fly into a rage. He blamed every Sunni for what had happened to his family and friends. While I sympathize with this Kurd's experience, it just shows that the minute we invaded Iraq, a power vacuum developed that would lead to civil war. I just fail to see how such seeting hatred could have been overlooked in the run-up to war. Oh wait, it wasn't overlooked. It was ignored. :eyes:

[frogcycle]

1. good insight - thanks. as to the water...

The movie "Iraq for sale" goes in to some depth on how one of the contractors responsible for providing clean water was scamming the govt. One of their ex-employees broke into tears when telling how frustrating it was that all they were supposed to do was enable the guys to take showers in clean water, and they were knowingly providing them contaminated water that would make them sick. He was really torn up, because he was there to "support the troops" who put their lives on the line, and he felt strongly about wanting to do so. I forget which contractors did what - the main names, of course are Halliburton, KKR, Blackwater, and CACI. The water-supplier was one of the middle two.

[Maestro]

2. Interesting.

I just took it for granted that enough water would be available to the troops regardless of the lack of body armor and the like. It just amazes me that the seething hatred exemplified by this translator was not seen or could have been ignored. Amazingly arrogrant or stupid on the part of war-mongering neocons.