In Iraq: Stupidity causes death

[tnitsuj]

Stupidity causes death
Posted: May 4, 2004
1:00 a.m. Eastern

© 2004 WorldNetDaily.com

Deploying without sufficient armor and then having to fly 70-ton Abrams tanks to Iraq is as flaky as almost everything else about a war where politicians were proclaiming just a year ago that once we drained the swamps, the rest would be rice and flowers.

If "Blood and Guts" Gen. George Patton had been running things, he'd have roared when told to deploy to a battlefield without all of his killing gear. Rest assured that the 1st Cavalry, 1st Infantry and 1st Marine divisions would have shipped out with their full kit of heavy weapons instead of liberation light.

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But there are few Pattons at the top of today's military who know the fighting game and have the guts to tell Perfumed Prince superiors that their poor decisions could get soldiers killed. So now ? according to the Pentagon's Lt. Col. Diane Battaglia ? our brilliant Brass are "repositioning assets" while our soldiers and Marines are absorbing rocket propelled grenades and roadside mines in thin-skinned vehicles far more fit for a vacation at Yosemite than for combat.

"Most of our tanks were left behind, and tankers, gun bunnies and ADA [Air Defense] guys became infantry," says a 1st Cav leader in Iraq. "What we need are more tanks and tracked APCs [armored personnel carriers]. We also need more Strykers [armored carrier vehicles], because tracks are no good for line-haul escort duty. However, the Strykers aren't the end-all ? they're having problems maneuvering inside cities with RPG-proof cages. Bradleys can turn faster."

Now we're flying armor to these besieged outfits at about $200,000 a tank, and our seaports are on overtime loading ships with the track vehicles that were also left behind.

It's no wonder the Pentagon will soon ask we-the-people for additional billions of dollars to continue pursuing the greatest military miscalculation in our country's history. Meanwhile, the meter's already closing on $300 billion, 800 dead and more than 22,000 battle and non-battle casualties.

Central Command's Maj. Gen. John Sattler says that based on the changing situation in Iraq, he requested more tanks and armored Bradley Fighting Vehicles.

Hello? What changing situation? During the months they were preparing to deploy, pals of mine in all three divisions have been groaning to me that they were parking their heavy stuff in the motor pool to go in light. These sergeants, lieutenants and captains already saw that the insurgency struggle in Iraq was getting worse daily, that improvised explosive devices and ambushes were the enemy's weapons of choice, and that only armor would protect them while they tried to defeat a basically inept but fanatical foe.

But the high brass, from SecDef Donald Rumsfeld down, diligently ignored the fact that guerrilla resistance in Iraq was growing stronger and bolder with the passage of each bloody week.

It's the type of foggy thinking that reminds me of early 1965, when my parachute brigade was alerted to deploy to Vietnam and we were told we had to take our Army dress uniforms. I yelled at the Pentagon staff officer who gave me the word, and he replied, "We're envisioning a short war." Or the Pentagon's failure in 1993 to send requested tanks to Mogadishu. The result: "Black Hawk Down," where a lot of good men died or got shot up.

Until Desert Storm, our military did a pretty good job profiting from the lessons of Vietnam. But then the brass became drunk on their splendid 100-hour victory and concluded that "Shock and Awe" with fewer ground troops and lighter equipment would do the whole trick in future conflicts.

So this time around, we went into Iraq criminally short on boots and heavy gear. And one year later, our military's senior commanders still don't get what's going down in the killing fields of Iraq, nor are they listening to what their warriors are telling them.

Since the vast majority of the American people are not yet affected by the carnage, waste and stupidity, the death mill of Iraq will grind on until more and more of our sons' and daughters' bodies are flown into Dover Air Force Base at the dead of night to keep the photos off Page One.

Unless the people wake up quick smart and demand decent leadership from the top to the bottom of our armed forces, that sad day will come.



Col. David H. Hackworth, author of his new best-selling "Steel My Soldiers' Hearts," "Price of Honor" and "About Face," has seen duty or reported as a sailor, soldier and military correspondent in nearly a dozen wars and conflicts ? from the end of World War II to the recent fights against international terrorism.



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[alchemize]

WorldNetDaily? Turning into a conservative?

 

[freegeeks]

while I always opposed this war, they should kick the responsible (political) leaders in the nuts for not providing the boys and gals in uniform with the equipment they need

young americans are dying because of the stupid decisions of politicians who didn't even serve in the armed forces

 

[mastertech01]

Yep, it was a disaster to try to execute this war on the cheap. And Im sure everyone will want to point the fickled finger of fate toward Rumsfeld.

But was it entirely his doing? I seem to recall a huge uproar about a request for 87 billion dollars, of which the primary sum of it would be for the support of our troops. Now those very same people are jumping up and screaming that we didnt have enough, dont have enough, and need far more to protect our dear beloved soldiers.

They waited till the bodies started coming home in droves first, and now claim they want to see more done for force protection and how the administration failed our boys so badly.

Everyone in our government is responsible for the cause and effect, so now is the time to put aside party line politics and put together a team effort or suffer the reality of total failure. IMHO

 

[Bulk Beef]

Since when are you posting the opinions of America's most decorated Monday morning quarterback?

 

[conjur]

U.S. Funds for Rebuilding Iraq

Money Congress provided for Iraqi reconstruction in last fall's $87 billion package for wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and how much of it the government owes or has spent so far. Figures are through April 28:

Total for Iraqi rebuilding: $18.4 billion provided by Congress, $2.77 billion paid or owed.

Categories of projects:

Security and law enforcement: $3.2 billion from Congress, $710 million owed or spent.

Justice, public safety and democracy: $1.5 billion, $282 million.

Electricity: $5.5 billion, $1.2 billion.

Oil infrastructure: $1.7 billion, $455 million.

Water resources, sanitation: $4.1 billion, $41 million.

Transportation and telecommunications: $500 million, $22 million.

Roads and bridges construction: $370 million, $8 million.

Health care: $793 million, 0.

Private sector development: $184 million, $15 million.

Education, refugees, human rights and governance: $259 million, $32 million.

Administrative expenses: $213 million, $14 million.

Source: Coalition Provisional Authority.

And

http://www.tdn.com/articles/2004/04/30/nation_world/news01.txt

Billions in Iraqi aid unspent
By Washington Post
Apr 30, 2004 - 02:04:15 pm PDT

WASHINGTON -- Seven months after Congress approved the largest foreign aid package in history to rebuild Iraq, less than 5 percent of the $18.4 billion has been spent, and occupation officials have begun shifting more than $300 million earmarked for reconstruction projects to administrative and security expenses.

Recent reports from the Coalition Provisional Authority, the CPA's inspector general and the U.S. Agency for International Development attest to the growing difficulties of the U.S.-led reconstruction effort. And they have raised concerns in Congress and among international aid experts that the Bush administration's ambitious rebuilding campaign is adrift amid rising violence and unforeseen costs.


Rep. Jim Kolbe, R-Ariz., chairman of the House Foreign Operations Appropriations Committee, cited "bureaucratic infighting" and a "loss of central command and control" at a hearing Thursday as he sharply questioned top administration officials: "I have very serious concerns about the pace of assistance in Iraq and the management of those funds."

Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz pointed to successes in rebuilding, and blamed contracting snafus for some of the delays. But Richard Armitage, the deputy secretary at the State Department, which will take over from the CPA this summer, refused to make what he called "excuses."

"Of course we're not satisfied," he said. "We feel the same sense of urgency that Paul feels to get on with it."

Of the $18.4 billion in Iraqi aid approved by Congress in October, just $2.3 billion had been steered to projects through March 24, the CPA told Congress this month. Only $1 billion has actually been spent, the authority's inspector general told congressional aides Monday. In January, the CPA had said it had planned to spend nearly $8 billion during the first six months of this fiscal year.

The first round of rebuilding funds, about $4.5 billion, focused on rebuilding the electricity grid, restoring the flow of oil, Iraq's main source of revenue, and fixing schools and hospitals.

In a report this month, occupation officials warned Congress that security, project management and logistics expenses may "reduce slightly" the level of funding for reconstruction, but that they were still working with the Office of Management and Budget to determine how much money would be moved.

So far, occupation officials have reassigned $184 million appropriated for drinking water projects to fund the operations of the U.S. Embassy after the provisional authority is dissolved June 30. Another $29 million from projects such as "democracy building" were reallocated to fund the U.S. development agency's administrative expenses.

And more diversions may be coming. Armitage said the State Department still faces a shortfall of $40 million to $60 million in embassy operating funds this year. And embassy construction and operations could consume as much as $2.5 billion in fiscal year 2005, none of which has been requested by President Bush.

"The first time there' s talk of a supplemental (appropriations bill), we'll be up here early and often," Armitage told House members Thursday. Until then, he said, State will have to rely on its authority under last year's Iraqi aid law to divert as much as 10 percent of the aid -- $1.84 billion -- into overhead. In addition, the CPA, which was allocated $858 million for operating expenses, can spend up to additional 1 percent of the total funding on itself.

The shift of money has already raised objections from Capitol Hill and fueled worries that it could undermine the U.S. government's position with the Iraqi people.

Aides from both parties told CPA officials this week to find the embassy money somewhere else, said Tim Rieser, chief Democratic clerk for the Senate foreign operations appropriations subcommittee.

"Cutting funds from water and sanitation makes no sense," Rieser said. "Potable water is desperately needed in that country."

Administration officials said the money was taken from drinking water projects because such projects have been allocated $2.8 billion through 2005, of which only $14 million has been channeled to projects. They said they felt it would be easier to take the full $184 million they were allowed to shift to CPA expenses from one place, rather than siphoning off smaller amounts from various accounts.

"We worked with Congress to develop a package of options to ensure the embassy would have needed resources," said White House budget office spokesman Chad Kolton. "We are continuing to work with Capitol Hill as the process moves forward."

Attacks on foreign civilians have also made the CPA reassess its plan for rebuilding the Iraqi security forces. Some $93 million has been reallocated from facilities protection, border enforcement and the Iraqi Armed Forces to build a fortified police training facility in Baghdad, in addition to an $800 million training academy in Jordan. The reason is that international police trainers needed a secure place to work in the Iraqi capital, said Rep. Nita Lowey, D-N.Y., the ranking Democrat on the House subcommittee responsible for aid funding.

Almost since the very beginning, the reconstruction of Iraq has been set back by problems including widespread looting and competition between various U.S. agencies. "At its worst," Kolbe said Thursday, the infighting "has led to different parts of the U.S. government pursuing different policies in a given country."

The first set of contracts was awarded before the war ended, and occupation authorities reported significant progress in rebuilding schools and power plants by last fall. But turning the new round of congressional funding into visible projects and jobs has been hampered by continuing administrative and security problems.

Shortly after Congress approved the funds in mid-November, senior government officials became embroiled in a debate over who would manage the money and whether proper financial controls were in place. The Pentagon had set up a new entity called the Program Management Office to coordinate between the various contracting agencies. Some officials argued that the idea of the new office was too experimental and that it might be better for USAID or another agency to take over. The result was that the first major group of contracts were awarded in March, instead of February.

The Program Management Office Web site now says $1.5 billion in work is "under way" on 42 projects and its director, David Nash, a retired Navy rear admiral, said in Iraq last week that $5 billion of the funds "will be committed to construction" by July 1.

Meanwhile, the deteriorating security situation has forced CPA officials to change some spending priorities.

USAID spokesman Luke Zahner said the shift of funds from "democracy building," electricity, education and water to agency overhead was a technical adjustment. Limited funds were allocated for operations by Congress because it was unclear last fall which agency would oversee which projects in Iraq, he said.

Most of the reallocation is for security, said Lu'ay Eris, deputy president of Baghdad City Council, which he called a reasonable decision.

A spokesman for the Iraqi Oil Ministry, Asim Jihad, agreed: "Everything is linked to everything else. If there is no security, it will be impossible to do reconstruction projects."

But, Eris predicted, "taking this money will affect reconstruction. It will lengthen the period."

The CPA's recent report to Congress shows how little of Congress's latest rebuilding allocation has been spent since Oct 1.

Of the $279 million earmarked for irrigation projects, for instance, none has been spent. The same goes for $152 million allocated for dam repair and construction. The occupation government earmarked $240 million for road and bridge construction, of which $20 million has been "obligated" to projects so far. One bridge, at Al Mat, has been rebuilt, another at Khazir is partially reopened.

Some of the programs that generated objections as gratuitous and expensive when debated in Congress last fall also have yet to take hold. The administration's $75 million witness protection initiative got its first team of U.S. marshals on March 25 to begin designing the program.

Congress pared back President Bush's $400 million request for two new prisons to $100 million; so far, only "the initial scope of work" has been approved. The Defense Department did shift $15 million from judicial security to prisons to fund 107 contractors "as trainers and mentors."

 

[chess9]

If they hadn't gone....

Yes, Rumsfeld should get a boot in the ass. He's done a dreadful job. If he were a Democrat, the Republicans would be calling for his head EVERY 5 SECONDS!

They can't spend that aid money because they have no security. Why build a power plant only to have it blown to smithereens?

I have never seen a Congress and a President/Cabinet so completely paralyzed and without options. We are totally fvsked in Iraq.

Time to come home.


-Robert

 

[kage69]

with President Bush and a Republican Congress to fully enact their compassionate conservative agenda.

And there's my morning laugh...