US officer in Iraq: "Leadership has no comprehension of the ground truth"

[bigtree]

August 16, 2006

Iraqis: Reality worse than U.S. believes

Politicians, some soldiers see a world policymakers ignore

By Tom Lasseter
McClatchy Newspapers

TIKRIT, Iraq - {snip}

Mahmoud Othman, a Kurdish member of parliament, charges that top U.S. officials spend most of their time in the heavily guarded Green Zone in Baghdad and at large military bases across the country, and don't know what's happening in the neighborhoods and provinces beyond.

Shiite Muslim parliament member Jalaladin al Saghir had a similar view.

"All the American policies have failed because the American analysis of the situation is wrong; it is not related to reality," Saghir said. "The slaughtered Iraqi man on the street conveys the best explanation" for what's happening in Iraq.


"As an intelligence officer ... I have had the chance to move around Baghdad on mounted and dismounted patrols and see the city and violence from the ground," wrote one U.S. military officer in Iraq.

"I think that the greatest problem that we deal (besides the insurgents and militia) with is that our leadership has no real comprehension of the ground truth. I wish that I could offer a solution, but I can't. When I have briefed General Officers, I have given them my perspective and assessment of the situation. Many have been surprised at what I have to say, but I suspect that in the end nothing will or has changed."

http://theolympian.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060816/NEWS/608160310

[babylonsister]

1. Recommend. So much for dimson listening when a military

authority talks.

[bigtree]

2. I looked for any recent quotes from him about listening

to the generals 'on the ground', but he's scrubbed that from his rhetoric, I guess because his generals on the ground are disagreeing with him.

[ConcernedCanuk]

3. OH, they know the truth alright - they just don't give a sh*t . . .

.
.
.

They are busy building over a dozen Military bases in Iraq

A staging ground for their domination in the ME -

To heck with hospitals, schools, etc.,

and repairing the infrastructure they've destroyed . .

That's what I see

[bigtree]

4. they're digging in

when they should be bugging out

[babylonsister]

5. That's their problem; they're already bugged out! nt

[bigtree]

6. yup

:P

[loves_dulcinea]

7. we already know that.

let him convince the xian fundies.

[MethuenProgressive]

8. You don't get Stars on your shoulders...

...listening to those beneath you, you get them following orders from above.