US book on Iraq war takes aim at Rumsfeld

WASHINGTON (AFP) - US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld comes under fire for his handling of the invasion of Iraq and its bloody aftermath in a new book by a retired general and a New York Times reporter.

The book, "COBRA II: The Inside Story of the Invasion and Occupation of Iraq", accuses Rumsfeld and General Tommy Franks, who commanded US troops at the war's outset, of adopting an overly optimistic plan that ignored the threat of insurgency and the political landscape of Iraq.

"In the Iraq War, Rumsfeld and Franks dominated the planning," wrote the authors, Michael Gordon, military reporter for the New York Times, and retired general Bernard Trainor.

Vice President Dick Cheney "had the authority to serve as a counterweight to the Pentagon's optimism on postwar planning. But the vice president never once challenged the realism of Rumsfeld's expectations," they wrote.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/usiraqmilitarymediarumsfeld

All true.

Rumsfeld needs to go back to running a car company - cause he certainly kills too many of our kids.

Good post -

Joe

they have been wetting their pants since 1998 and before waiting for any excuse to get that oil. They could give a shit what happened after we got in, to the people or the country. Keeping the contractors and oil workers safe has been the mission. It wasn't world politics that was the impetus it was corporate economics. Those private companies have hijacked the American federal budget as their own expense account. Ohhh, but they hate big government. ohhh, but they hate tax money being put in the national coffers. ohhh, but they can sure spend it for oil production. numbnuts I hope this all comes back on them and they face some type of justice.