Slip Slidin' Away

Visit an alternate universe where "a broad-based, credible provisional government" was in place before the U.S. invasion of Iraq, the Iraqi army played a key role in "recovery" and "stabilization," and only 5,000 U.S. troops were left in Iraq four years after the invasion. As optimistic as this recently declassified military slide show is, it probably would have helped turn public opinion against the war had it been available at the time by focusing attention on the nation-building part of the war—i.e., the hard part—and all the things that would have to go just right for the U.S. to get out within five years.

Comments

joe | February 15, 2007, 1:11pm | #

"As optimistic as this recently declassified military slide show is, it probably would have helped turn public opinion against the war had it been available at the time by focusing attention on the nation-building part of the war"

At the time, Jacob, the majority of the public believed that Saddam Hussein was about to give nuclear weapons to Osama bin Laden to use against us, and that we had to pre-empt this threat before we had a mushroom cloud over one of our cities.

The cost and length of some nation building is small potatoes compared to that. Now IF the adminstration had been straight with us about their motives for starting the war - that Iraq was going to turn into a warmer version of Minnesota, which would cause all the nations in the region to see the error of their ways - then information like this might have swayed the public.

But look at Afghanistan. We've been there even longer than this slide projects, in greater numbers, without achieving the outcome this slide describes, and there is only a tiny fraction of the public that has stopped supporting that war.

Jaybird | February 15, 2007, 1:17pm | #

A scene from another alternate universe:

"Man, if only Trotsky didn't win the power struggle against Stalin. Millions wouldn't have died and the model would have worked the way it was supposed to!"

Jennifer | February 15, 2007, 1:25pm | #

If only my aunt had balls she'd've made a fabulous uncle.

Fred | February 15, 2007, 1:35pm | #

Why even entertain this? Apparently this is "news" to the major media outlets, thus it reeks of another propaganda dispensing. Carry this message is nothing short of providing excuses for the Administration: by implying that the invasion of Iraq (assuming there even was a rational plan) had a "rosy" prediction for troop withdrawal, combined with varied stages for invasion, occupation, and reconstruction, we are letting the criminals who started this war off the hook. The US had no real reason to go to war with Iraq ( as evidenced by the avalanche of lies prior to the President thumbing his nose as Congress and the international community), and this slide presentation was merely just part of the insidious attempt to fool the citizens. Although this was recently declassified, one would have to see the relevance that there were (even back then...2002) people within the administration, the DOD, and Congressional committees that were "on-the-fence" about the issue and could use a little optimistic nudging by some fraudulent presentation. This entire subject has to be treated with skepticism, just as "the boy that cried wolf"; the liars that have hi-jacked our government ( through the peoples consent, so sad ) didn't just recently become conniving decievers, they are organized and have an agenda that is generational.

josephdietrich | February 15, 2007, 1:36pm | #

Wow, a plan that didn't survive first contact with the enemy.

God these people were/are stupid.

joe | February 15, 2007, 1:40pm | #

Apparently, "the enemy" was the Iraqi people, who laughed at the Ahmed Chalabi "provisional government," and Paul Bremer, who disbanded the Iraqi Army in order to reinvent their political culture from scratch.

When your plan doesn't survive first contact with your own troops, it's not much of a plan.

josephdietrich | February 15, 2007, 1:58pm | #

It was definitely not much of a plan. It was so much not a plan it was actually an anti-plan, a fantasy of wishful thinking dressed up with lies and PowerPoints sold by idiot think-tankers enamored with frauds like Chalabi and incompetents like Bremer.

Like I said, these people are stupid. Or malevolent. Probably both.

GILMORE | February 15, 2007, 2:55pm | #

Fred | February 15, 2007, 1:35pm | #


Aw, c'mon Fred, tell us what you REALLY think

GILMORE | February 15, 2007, 3:55pm | #

re: plans

"No plan survives first contact with the enemy"
- Field Marshall Helmuth Carl Bernard von Moltke

"Plans are worthless. Planning is essential."
- Dwight D. Eisenhower, general and president (1890-1961)

taking into consideration how plans fit into action, these things were ideas, not necessarily realistic predictions. But I think the most interesting things to look at would be Bremer's rationale for dissolution of the Iraqi army, and predictions about what it would achieve/affect. Garner and Bremer were the ones on the ground seeing the day to day erosion of civil affairs... their "3 year plans" are the ones that really fucked us.

anon | February 16, 2007, 3:21pm | #

I remember wondering during the invasion where the replacement Iraqi goverment was hiding. On a PowerPoint slide, it seems.

If only they had made it into reality.