An interesting article that closely mirrors my view on Iraq being a distraction. I know that it’s something of a heresy in the progressive company that I keep...but I was pro- Afghanistan. In any event, it’s worth a read.
LIEUT. GENERAL GREG NEWBOLD (RET.)
“I've been silent long enough... What we are living with now is the consequences of successive policy failures. Some of the missteps include: the distortion of intelligence in the buildup to the war, McNamara-like micromanagement that kept our forces from having enough resources to do the job, the failure to retain and reconstitute the Iraqi military in time to help quell civil disorder, the initial denial that an insurgency was the heart of the opposition to occupation, alienation of allies who could have helped in a more robust way to rebuild Iraq, and the continuing failure of the other agencies of our government to commit assets to the same degree as the Defense Department. My sincere view is that the commitment of our forces to this fight was done with a casualness and swagger that are the special province of those who have never had to execute these missions—or bury the results.”
(http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1181587,00.html)
