US ill prepared to tackle post-war mission in Iraq: Struck

BERLIN (AFP) - The United States was ill prepared to tackle its mission in the aftermath of the war to unseat Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein (news - web sites), German Defense Minister Peter Struck said in a newspaper interview.

"US soldiers are good at combat but they are ill prepared for 'nation-building' missions and by that I mean setting up democratic and economic structures," Struck is quoted as saying in an interview that will appear in Sunday's edition of the Welt am Sonntag.

He said the German army on the other hand was trained for such operations as proven in such countries as Afghanistan (news - web sites).

"Our soldiers who go to Kabul are aware of the country's mentality and history," Struck said. "They know the differences between the various ethnic groups."

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http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&u=afp/iraq_germany_us

doesn't care about diplomacy, cultural differences, etc. * doesn't do nuance. Just agree with us or we will punish you. Like 'George the enforcer' did in his dad's admin. Read an article today claiming shrub approached a congressman in Tejas, grabbed him by the collar and told him he was gonna 'kick your ass if you don't' get with the program. Must have been drunk.

What's so cripplingly inane about that attitude--shared by a probably a majority of people in this country--is that it masquerades as being "hard headed" and "practical," when actually it is just the opposite. It is complicated and difficult to understand other cultures and other mindsets, but guess what? It helps you ACCOMPLISH things.

Like watching some guy stuck in a snowbank who doesn't understand snow, physics or anything other than the fact he's got a big car with a big engine and Goddamit if Ah put down m'gas pedal the sucker ougha GO goddamit! So he sits there pouring it on, spinning his tires till they're screaming, not knowing he's creating a nifty little ice slick that he's never going to get out of, whereas if he'd just use a tiny bit of gas and ROCK the fucking thing....

GO, gaddamit! Y'son of a whore! GO! GO! GO! AAaargh! Why don't it GO!

—The Bob Boudelang philosophy of life in a nutshell.

Apologies for the metaphor--just heard there's another nor'easter on the way. Lots more of the above to look forward to.