Think Tanks And Body Armor

By BlackJack

In the months leading up to the war, Donald Rumsfeld was made aware of a plan for a war in Iraq developed by the best minds of the various military think tanks and war colleges. The giant document was the end result of years of strategic planning incorporating the knowledge gained from previous conflicts, international intelligence sources and exiled Iraqis. This plan was summarily ignored and Mr. Rumsfeld told his staff he didnﾒt want to see or hear any more about it - he already had his own plan.

In the 1990ﾒs Mr. Rumsfeld was a member of the Project for a New American Century (PNAC) - a neocon think tank whose other members included Paul Wolfowitz, Richard Perle, Elliott Abrams, James Woolsey and William Bennett; all of whom would later assume prominent positions within the Bush Administration. PNAC had developed a new concept of war called 'Shock and Awe' whereby a small military force, equipped with advanced weaponry, would be able to move swiftly, behind a campaign of targeted aerial bombing, towards the seat of power of an enemy - a maneuver known as ﾑdecapitationﾒ. The assumption was that once Saddam was removed from power the military would simply give up.

The problem for the PNAC group was that to get a chance to try out their new strategy would call for friends within the White House and Pentagon - something they had few of in the Clinton administration. They had to wait for a Republican presidency. They first looked within their own circle for a candidate and, although they were all Washington insiders who had served in several administrations, quickly realized they didnﾒt have anyone with the name recognition or star power to make a serious run at the presidency.

They turned to the party's chief political architect, Karl Rove, who knew just the man for the job. His name had instant recognition and he even had great appeal to the all-important Christian Right - George W. Bush. His born-again Christian moniker and his ﾑaw-shucksﾒ southern boy demeanor perfectly balanced the steely determination of his backers and another neocon favorite with political experience and desires - then-Halliburton CEO Dick Cheney. Rove dug into his political bag of tricks and ran a perfectly orchestrated campaign utilizing 40 years of experience in muck raking and a little help from some key Republican figures in Florida. The neocons were in.

From even before their first days in office the PNAC group set about finding an opportunity to go to Iraq. The unfortunate events of September 11th, 2001 gave them the opportunity they were looking for. Within 48 hours of the towers toppling the administration was looking for a way to tie Saddam to Al Quada. After a short campaign in Afghanistan, all eyes within the PNAC circle turned towards their objective and they began to sell the idea to America. By this point even Bush was convinced that he couldnﾒt pass up this chance to avenge his fathers name.

The build up to war began. The neocons were so enamored with the concept of ﾑShock and Aweﾒ that they refused to listen to the warnings of experienced military strategists or even from the most experienced top brass. Those who spoke up were either ignored or fired. When Army Chief of Staff Eric Shinseki, a Bronze Star and Purple Heart recipient in Vietnam, dared to tell the Senate Armed Services Committee that ﾑseveral hundred thousandﾒ troops would be needed to execute the war and the peace that followed he was pressured into resigning - his good name smeared on national television by civilian leaders without a day of military experience among them. The other brass learned the lesson fast; salute and execute.

And now we find ourselves three years later still embroiled in a bitter and disheartening insurgency - two years and six months longer than Mr. Rumsfeldﾒs initial prediction for the length of the conflict. Shock and awe have given way to a sense of dread and loathing.

Even Mr. Rumsfeld long ago admitted that it could be several years before weﾒre able to bring our troops home. Several who have visited Iraq recently have noticed how the bases there seem to be constructed as permanent installations.

The evening news, once filled with the accounts of reporters ﾑembeddedﾒ with the soldiers, now inserts short reports of the days military deaths between the latest celebrity baby updates or news of the dreadful gas prices. The nation has grown weary of the war, much as they did during Vietnam, and the morale of the average soldier in Iraq is low.

The problems in Iraq arenﾒt as simple as a lack of training or body armor. Itﾒs not a matter of unforeseen problems and bad guesses. In every war there are surprises and in every war our brave men and women find brilliant, practical ways to overcome the obstacles. This is faulty war based on a bad concept developed by men with no military experience - just a sickening drive for revenge and a thick-headed desire to proceed without regard for what would follow or how many lives would be lost.