>>>>In these two cases the U.S., as the aggressor, failed to plan and execute in a manner consistent with "giving freedom" to the vanquished. Sure, they conquered handily. But they didn't have the troops to keep the peace. They didn't have the troops and wherewithal to rebuild the destroyed (by themselves) infrastructure. They knew that unemployment would be a huge problem but had no plan to address it. In fact they dis-employed the whole military when anyone with half a brain knows that idle hands look for something to do. The Baathist ran everything, so people who might otherwise have had jobs had no bosses from whom to take direction (because Baathists were outlawed).
>>>>So you've got a war where the actual PROVISION of "democracy" to the conquered had NO PLAN. None whatsoever!!! Such a mistake, and all that flows from it, demands resignations, including the President's.
>>>>"Mistakes" made in the heat of battle with aggressors are one thing. The egregious errors that continue unabated in Iraq are a totally different kettle of fish.
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>>>A general who agrees with your assessment of the mistakes but not with how they were made nor who should be blamed. He was "the No. 2 general at United States Central Command from the Sept. 11 attacks through the Iraq war"
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>>>http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/16/opinion/16delong.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
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>>I tried the link (seems the same as the one earlier in the thread) but I don't sign in to services, free or not, unless I use them day-to-day.
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>>On the other hand... if it is agreed that there was NO PLAN for actually delivering democracy to the people of Iraq, yet that was THE MISSION, why is there any question as to whether the President and Vice President and Secretary Rumsfeld should resign???? "Every war is full of mistakes" doesn't cut it. Or does it?
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>The artice specifically mentions that there was a plan :
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>"...that doesn't mean that a "What's next?" plan didn't exist. It did; it was known as Phase IV of the overall operation. General Franks drafted it and the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the State Department, the Pentagon, the Treasury Department and all members of the Cabinet had input. It was thoroughly "war-gamed" by the Joint Chiefs."

Doesn't that make for an even stronger case for resignations? They had this plan, fully vetted, and this is how it's worked out! Incompetence seems too light a word to me.
When a sports team is going bad they fire the coach, even though he never participates in a play. President Bush, Vice President Cheney and Secretary Rumsfeld are the collective coaches in this case. When you can't fire the whole squad, you fire the coaching staff.

A "plan" that doesn't even come close should be called what it is - a piece of paper to be quartered and hung by the toilet. In any business such a "plan" would result in firings without fanfare. Yet when 25 million PLUS lives are involved these guys keep their jobs?????????

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>>By the way, Blue Diamond smoked almonds are great
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>The smokehouse are excellent but my new favorite are the wasabi & soy.