tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8282587.post8426843844992883572..comments2024-03-19T01:48:39.709+00:00Comments on Power and Control: Stretch Them To The Breaking PointM. Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09508934110558197375noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8282587.post-15250133956286834692008-01-29T20:15:00.000+00:002008-01-29T20:15:00.000+00:00Hussein's strategy was for the most loyal (to him)...Hussein's strategy was for the most loyal (to him) elements of the Iraqi Army to wage guerrilla warfare against us. That's what the insurgency originally was, before al Qaeda joined in.<BR/><BR/>The organizational culture of the old Iraq Army <I>had</I> to go. de-Baathification was necessary, despite the negative consequences.<BR/><BR/>Experience keeps a dear school, but sometimes there is no substitute.LarryDhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10955273945502612268noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8282587.post-69481561616268623882008-01-28T23:13:00.000+00:002008-01-28T23:13:00.000+00:00I think you really had to dissolve it and reform i...I think you really had to dissolve it and reform it. It had a lot of bad habits taught by the previous regime.<BR/><BR/>In any case the Iraqi army liquefied.<BR/><BR/>BTW de-Nazification caused the same problems in Germany. It was necessary. The old regime really has to know it has lost everything.<BR/><BR/>In the long run the chaos the move cost has been a net plus for Iraq. People know what the Islamic nutters really stand for.<BR/><BR/>A harrowing 4 years to learn the lesson though.M. Simonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09508934110558197375noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8282587.post-25512502507242862972008-01-28T21:22:00.000+00:002008-01-28T21:22:00.000+00:00Yes the surge was a great idea, but it would never...Yes the surge was a great idea, but it would never have been necessary if Paul Bremmer (with what I suspect was the aquiescence of George Bush) hadn't made the collosally stupid mistake of disbanding the Iraqi army and throwing all the Bath party members out of government. I remeber yelling at my radio when I heard the news. I was astonished that all the military officers who attended War College didn't scream bloody murder at the very idea. <BR/> It was the dumbest blunder of the Bush Presidency. <BR/><BR/>DavidRavingDavehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07671059573191161552noreply@blogger.com