Bush's Shrinking Safety Zone

[tw]

Originally Posted by richlevy

Who would want that job knowing that the White House will put it's own political agenda above the real situation and will also attempt to shift attention. Who wants a job that will only get them the blame? In effect, they will order the 'czar' to 'stay the course' and then tell everyone that they had no input and that it was the "czar's" idea since he is ostensibly the one in charge.

What was always more important? Early in 2003, the White House had White House spokesmen assigned to Central Command public information offices just so the message was correct. Realities are secondary when MBAs and lawyers make the decisions. (Same people who said global warming does not exist and that Man to Mars will advance science.)

Humvees had no armor. Why? "Mission Accomplished". If we sent armor kits, then that would be an admission that "Mission Accomplished" had not happened. The message was more important than realities. Therefore soldiers died.

A soldier asks Rumsfeld why so few armored humvees. Rumsfeld said the armor was being delivered as fast as possible. Again, a message was more important than reality. Company that made those armor kits said they could increase production by something like 400 per month - but Rumsfeld would not order it. Why? The message was “Mission Accomplished”. Therefore more soldiers died.

Message said evil Baathists must be removed. Where did military doctrine even from 500 BC (Art of War) ever appear in that message? Therefore Baathists, teachers, electric utility workers, government officials, police, military, .... all were fired because of the message. Therefore 'the message' created an insurgency.

The message said Saddam has WMDs everywhere. Better to leave those ammo dumps alone. Message was more important than reality. Therefore the country remains chock full of munitions to arm an insurgency.

Col Spain needed his twenty MP companies to perform his job. He got three. Why? The message was that the Iraqis would welcome occupation forces. When that did not happen, then the 507th Maintenance Company (Jessica Lynch) was virtually wiped out. They were deployed with no radios, no GPS, and without the MP escorts they were equipped to expect and that would have provided protection. Message was that Jessica Lynch was shot and captured while firing her weapon. More lies because the message is always more important than reality.

The message was “There’s no question but that in those regions where pockets of dead-enders are trying to reconstitute”. Wolfowitz repeated the same message on Capitol Hill: “remnant of the old regime”; that resistance was almost eliminated. Therefore reality - a massive American created insurgency was growing and killing Americans in increasing numbers. An insurgency created by Bremer and the George Jr administration then was renamed Al Qaeda. Again the message was more important than reality. Label them as bogeymen rather than angry Iraqis who wanted Americans gone.

After October 2003, Americans were being attacked 1500 and 3000 times every day. The message from Rumsfeld was, "We're in a low intensity war that needs to be won, and we intend to win it." Over 1000 attacks every day is low intensity? But reality was contrary to the message. So many Americans had so much contempt for the troops as to believe the message.

By mid-October, the insurgency was obviously spiking. Instead US commanders were planning for troop reductions to 100,000 the next summer and something like 40,000 by next year. Why? The message was Iraqis were happy to be liberated - when their lives had never been worse. But again, the message is more important than reality.

By this point, after obviously lying about WMD, one might say, “Fool me once; shame on you. Fool me twice; shame on me.” Instead, majority of American were believing the message; ignoring reality; blaming the press for being too negative.

"Mission Accomplished" was never justified by a smoking gun. It has no strategic objective. Therefore it has no exit strategy. All this is now being demanded by Congress that wants milestones. George Jr is fighting and obstructing what the military needs. No strategic objective means victory is not possible - Vietnam deja vue complete with contempt for the troops.

Wait... wait... I think I see light at the end of the tunnel. No. That's someone looking for electricity in Baghdad. Why would anyone with intelligence want to work for an administration enchanted by their own message? Why would they want to accept blame when so many Americans would not even see through “the message” from a compulsive liar?

A “Mission Accomplished” Czar must ignore reality to promote the President Cheney message.

[richlevy]

Uh TW, it's really a small point but my post read:

Who would want to take the job knowing that the White House will put it's own agenda above dealing with the real situation and will also attempt to shift attention (and blame) away from themselves onto whoever fills the slot. In effect, they will order the 'czar' to 'stay the course' and then tell everyone that they had no input and that it was the "czar's" idea since he is ostensibly the one in charge.

You quoted me as: (I added the underlines)

Who would want that job knowing that the White House will put it's own political agenda above the real situation and will also attempt to shift attention. Who wants a job that will only get them the blame? In effect, they will order the 'czar' to 'stay the course' and then tell everyone that they had no input and that it was the "czar's" idea since he is ostensibly the one in charge.

I don't mind anyone snipping sections from posts. Even doing what reviewers do with the "It was a great book......great summer read" is ok.

The meaning wasn't altered significantly, and I realize that my original sentence was in danger of becoming a run-on sentence. However, I really don't want anyone acting as my editor here. Parsing quotes is fine. Actually changing words and sentences, even if the result is an improvement, is not a good idea.

I really do enjoy your input and I am very happy that you quoted me, so I hope that you will not take this as a rebuke but rather as a minor correction.

[tw]

Originally Posted by richlevy

Uh TW, it's really a small point but my post read:

I did not realize I had perverted the quote. Don't know how it happened but my mistake is not relevant to the topic. I have no idea either how or why I would have perverted that quote so massively.

Points posted were facts related to your original post. Irrelevant is whether it contradicts or confirms what you posted. The situation: why so many generals have proclaimed "Mission Accomplished" as wrong for various reasons - including every general that served in Iraq and has since retired .... that fact remains.

Facts posted are the reality of our current history and therefore current situation. Because same mental midgets remain and continue to lie to us, then why would any general want to work for people whose "message" is more important than reality? Military professionals even list examples of dead soldiers because the "message" had no basis in reality. Specific examples of dead soldiers directly attributed to *the message*.

Everyone here should have long learned those lessons; be it from W E Deming's concepts (ie "Out of Crisis") or from Vietnam. Tactical victories are wasted efforts when conducted without a strategic objective. Quality control inspectors mean no quality. In each case, doing a better job means no victory; no accomplishment. - because the bigger picture is bogus; a lie.

Even if the enlisted man believes he is doing so much good, his perspective hides a reality: his good intentions are wasted when not contributing to a viable strategic objective. So many 2003 soldiers insisted they were doing so much good when reality was opposite. It was only creating an insurgency. They would not know - they could not see the bigger picture - the strategic objective that did not exist.

A general who fails to understand why the "message" has no basis in reality would take that Czar job. That job is a no win situation because a political agenda - wacko extremist bias - is subverting realities. No strategic objective is a well proven formula for defeat.

Vietnam is the classic example of why a war could not be won - why propaganda - the message - a political agenda - will only create more dead troops. The Vietnam War Memorial in Washington is a tribute to so many killed watefully because our leaders were so self serving and stupid - did not have the courage and intelligence to acknowledge reality. Vietnam dead because the president’s legacy was more important than 30,000 American lives.

Why would anyone want to work for people with so little intelligence, so little grasp, so little courage, and massive, self serving political agendas? Yes, what George Jr is doing borders on treason; with so much contempt for the American soldier.

As an MBA, then what is his solution? Another layer of bureaucracy? George Jr, an MBA without 'dirt under his fingernails', has a long history of solving problems with more bureaucracy and increased spending. He even denies our only viable solution - the Iraq Study Group.

A Czar will somehow accomplish what is supposed to be the job of Central Command? No. But then we have leaders so short on intelligence as to even increase a subordinates pay from $130,000 to about $195,000 per year just for sex (that is not considered as despicable bad as 'nappy headed ho'?). Just another example of how wacko the entire George Jr administration really is.

Why would any General want to work for people with so much contempt of the American soldier, American principles, and Americans? No wonder religious right extremists are so in love with these *leaders*.