Viceroy Bremer says U.S. did not expect insurgency in Iraq

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N06261100.htm

WASHINGTON, Jan 6 (Reuters) - Paul Bremer, who led the U.S. civilian occupation authority in Iraq after the 2003 invasion, has admitted the United States did not anticipate the insurgency in the country, NBC Television said on Friday.

Bremer, interviewed by the network in connection with release of his book on Iraq, recounted the decision to disband the Iraqi army quickly after arriving in Baghdad, a move many experts consider a major miscalculation.

When asked who was to blame for the subsequent Iraqi rebellion, in which thousands of Iraqis and Americans have died, Bremer said "we really didn't see the insurgency coming," the network said in a news release.

The network, which did not publish a transcript of the interview, added that Bremer's comments suggested "the focus of the war effort was in the wrong place."

"we really didn't see the insurgency coming,"


Good Christ in Heaven how did these shits ever take over our country?

They have to be stopped, now.


But didn't Bremmer get a shiny medal from bush?

Ask L. Paul Bremer what happened to those billions that were delivered to Iraq while he was "Viceroy".

I remember those photos of how Bremer moved into one of Saddam's palaces. There was some royal furniture in there. A Louis XIV chair.

It's nice to feel royal, isn't it Paul?

How long before Bushler fires him?

There were many people who told them it would happen, including GH Bush! So the arrogance of W and his buddies is exposed yet AGAIN!!!!

consequences?

Take out all "law and order" forces and you think there won't be consequences?

What the **** do they teach you at your schools? What the **** does the military teach at its schools?

It didni't take a political science or militar expert to see that a country comprised of thre ethnic groups, brutally dominated by the minority one, would feel a sense of "freedom" when the regime was brought down. And, they would be angry about the deaths and destruction caused, and they would take it out against the occupiers.

For Pete's sake, whoever he is, it's not like this has never happened before and 'who couldn't known?"

I give them all "F's", "With Extreme Prejudice".

where their heads were when they decided to invade. Did they think that a secular middle east country with a medical and educational infrastructure was going to allow them to blast the whole place to bits and not fight back?

Did they believe that they could leave a power vacuum and not have a civil war? Did they think that they could simply write the ba'athists out of existence?

IS THERE A BLOODY FUNCTIONING BRAIN IN THE ENTIRE ADMINISTRATION?????

I'm sorry. I simply can't relate to these people on even a basic level.

His position appears to be that he and his side can walk into anybody's country and kill thousands of people and everyone will go: "Yay!"

Anyone whose view of human beings is THAT broken should be in a mental hospital.

appointee.

Which is saying a lot since I have to call for directions to the office each morning.

:spray:

before the US even went into Iraq as was the civil war that is raging now which is also not being acknowledged by the bush cabal.

Dropping bombs on their towns, invading illegally, occupying their nation, pissing on their values, disrespecting their holy sites, killing and torturing innocents, taking their oil, giving power to the ruling party's enemies, pissing off the majority (Shia) by trying to give women rights, etc. Who knew they'd be so . . . SENSITIVE ?

Hell, even I expected some kind of rebellion/insurgency to happen. Let's see... bomb the crap out of the country, destroy sacred buildings, destroy cultural landmarks, destroy/steal irreplaceable artifacts, kill untold numbers of innocents. Nope, I would NEVER expect a retaliation for those acts. Good grief, they are morons.

So many of us stood against this invasion and
could see that occupiers of another country
wouldn't welcome in that country for long, whether
it be here or there.

All we get is carpel tunnel syndrome...those who
led this invasion and occupation get rewarded.

from the article:

"Bremer, interviewed by the network in connection with release of his book on Iraq, recounted the decision to disband the Iraqi army quickly after arriving in Baghdad, a move many experts consider a major miscalculation.

Bremer said he raised his concerns about the numbers and quality of forces with President George W. Bush, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and senior military officials.

But he told NBC "there was a tendency by people in the Pentagon to exaggerate the capability of the Iraqi forces and I felt it was not likely we would have professionally trained forces to allow us to withdraw American forces in the spring of 2004."


from last January:


Bremer says disbanding Iraqi army was right decision
Published: 1/12/2005

NEW YORK, Jan 12 (AFP) - Paul Bremer, the former US administrator in Iraq, insisted Wednesday that disbanding the Iraqi army after US-led forces took control of the country had been the right decisions.

Writing in the Wall Street Journal, Bremer compared Iraq's military and Baathist Party leadership under former president Saddam Hussein to the Nazi regime of German dictator Adolf Hitler.

After Saddam's overthrow in April 2003 "it was vital to reassure the Iraqi people that in the new Iraq these organizations would no longer be used as instruments of repression," said Bremer the head of the US-led Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq from May 2003 to June 2004.

Critics have said the decision to disband the army fueled the insurgency and mounting violence in the country. They point to evidence that some former soldiers and officials have joined the insurgents attacking occupation forces.

http://www.turkishpress.com/news.asp?ID=35884

the dumb-shit republicans were spending all
their time on TV fantasizing the Iragi people would
shower them flowers and give parades in their honor
while small children sing songs in their praise.

What stupid-idiotic self-involved wrong-headed assholes.
This goes for the whole Trent Lott of 'em but most especially Cheney and Bush