"No matter how paranoid or conspiracy-minded you are, what the government is actually doing is worse than you imagine." - - - William Blum

June 23, 2003

The Hardships of Occupation


How's it looking for the army in Iraq? "Hard Times Ahead..." Snippet:
Last Sunday, a front-page story in the New York Times aroused attention throughout the Pentagon. Pfc. Matthew C. O'Dell, 1st Brigade of the 3rd Infantry Division, told a reporter: ''You call Donald Rumsfeld and tell him our sorry asses are ready to go home. Tell him to come spend a night in our building.''

Four days earlier, in a speech that marked his retirement as the Army's chief of staff, Gen. Eric Shinseki said it's ''just not helpful and it isn't true'' for ''some [to] suggest that we in the Army don't understand the importance of civilian control of the military.'' He added: ''To muddy the waters when important issues are at stake, issues of life and death, is a disservice to all of those in and out of uniform who serve and lead so well.'' Unlike the private first class, the general did not mention Rumsfeld by name. But that's who he meant.

With more than 370,000 soldiers or 70 percent of the Army deployed in 120 countries, President Bush's capability to pursue his doctrine of preemption is constrained. In his farewell address, Shinseki called for ''a force sized correctly to meet the strategy set forth in the documents that guide us.'' He warned: ''Beware the 12-division strategy for a 10-division army.''

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