Deborah Harrell wrote: > WRT reconstruction efforts (I snipped that part > above), and adding to the "what *was* the hurry?" is > the (re?)organization this month: > > http://edition.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/meast/10/06/sprj.irq.main/index.html > "...White House spokesman Scott McClellan said the > plan represented a "new phase" in the rebuilding > effort. > > ""This group can work to help cut through some of the > bureaucracy and the red tape here in Washington so > that we can make sure, as our efforts accelerate in > Iraq, that [reconstruction forces there are] getting > the full assistance from Washington," he said. > > "McClellan said the Iraq Stabilization Group would > oversee four areas: fighting terrorism, developing the > economy, overseeing political affairs and working with > the news media. National security adviser Condoleezza > Rice will head up the group..."
There was an interesting drama on the sidelines with Rice claiming that Rummy knew about this decision and Rummy saying in London that he had never heard about it. I tell you, this war and its aftermath have read better than most political thrillers. :) > 'War' was declared over in May (IIRC), yet an "Iraq > Stabilization Group" - an "interagency coordinating > council that will give it [the White House and thus I > presume Bush] a more direct role in Iraq's > reconstruction" was not created until *October*? This > is highly inefficient, and appears incompetent to me. I believe this what Rauch called the 'brilliant strategy of muddling through'. Bah! Now I would be the last person to advocate a blinkered, hide-bound pursuance of an ineffective policy but there *is* a happy medium to be found between that and mudling through. > If one plans to go to war, and one is reasonably > certain that one will handily win (from a purely > military standpoint), one ought to have carefully > crafted plans to 'win the peace' _before_ the first > shot is fired. That would have been sensible. > While I agree that it is unreasonable to expect a > smooth transition from Saddam -> US forces occupation > -> Iraq self-governance, comparisons to the Marshall > Plan and how long it took to stabilize Germany > overlook the fact that the US *started* this active > conflict in Iraq, whereas America came late to WWII, > and AFAIK hadn't _planned_ on reorganizing both Japan > and Germany. [Which somebody else on the List may > have pointed out already...?] Maybe General Petraeus' > (cited in the snippage) methods ought to be applied to > more of Iraq. Now. I think that would be wonderful. I have been rooting for Petraeus as the Viceroy of Iraq for a few months now. > The group will also work on improving conditions in > Afghanistan: *sighs* 'Tis probably craven of me but I don't like to think too much about the way things are in Afghanistan. Not only is it depressing, it is hard to see a quick way out of the situation. Quick as in a a couple of years... Ritu _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
