Bremer says U.S. did not expect insurgency in Iraq

[kpete]

Bremer says U.S. did not expect insurgency in Iraq
06 Jan 2006 21:41:49 GMT

Source: Reuters

WASHINGTON, Jan 6 (Reuters) - Paul Bremer, who led the U.S. civilian occupation authority in Iraq after the 2003 invasion, has admitted the United States did not anticipate the insurgency in the country, NBC Television said on Friday.

Bremer, interviewed by the network in connection with release of his book on Iraq, recounted the decision to disband the Iraqi army quickly after arriving in Baghdad, a move many experts consider a major miscalculation.

When asked who was to blame for the subsequent Iraqi rebellion, in which thousands of Iraqis and Americans have died, Bremer said "we really didn't see the insurgency coming," the network said in a news release.

The network, which did not publish a transcript of the interview, added that Bremer's comments suggested "the focus of the war effort was in the wrong place."

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N06261100.htm

[seabeyond]

1. sittin in the panhandle of texas, i could have told them. i knew

a country wasnt going to just give over their country. first thing out of husband and my mouth at the same time was vietnam. may not be there jsut yet, but we sure are working to it. pretty damn sad an old lady in the niddle of the country can figure it out, but our greatest and brightest say huh?????

[FreedomAngel82]

11. All I have to say to that is

duh! Revolution war anybody??

[Metta]

2. Blind faith and chickens come home to roost.

A deadly combination. Any fool who remembers Vietnam or has an ounce of common sense could have told them. What does that make them? Besides vile war criminals, I mean.

[Jane Austin]

3. Just another Republican who forgets we have recording devices.

Remember his predecessor, Jay Garner, who said we have about 90 days to establish order befor an insurgency getst started?

BTW, during that 90 days we got the "Bring it On" comment and maybe even the "Mission Accomplished" speech.

I'm not sure about exactly when Garner said that.

[Geoff R. Casavant]

4. Putz.

A simple look at even the most basic history would indicate that, if you send armed troops to another country, even after the regular army gives up, the folks already there just might have something to say about it.

French resistance, anyone?

[Avalux]

5. Stupid fucks (sorry). They were TOLD by a lot of people.

How many former military and civilian leaders warned Bushco they didn't have enough troops and hadn't planned adequately for the aftermath of the invasion? How about the history of the world?

No - it wasn't that they didn't know. It's that they refused to listen and went off half-assed as usual.

[FreedomAngel82]

12. I remember sometime last year

around October or so Bernie Ward had on his program the guy who wrote the book "Losing Iraq" and he said that Colin Powell wrote up a 1,000 page document on EVERYTHING that would have happened in Iraq and he predicted all that is happening now. They KNEW DAMN WELL that this would've happened. Bush, according to this guy, ignored Powell's document.

[GreatCaesarsGhost]

6. "we" apparently doesn't include General Shinseki

[applegrove]

7. Well it took you three years to admit that mistake. D'ya think that may

have something to do with why you didn't see it coming?

Perhaps it is not too smart to be a utopian patsy. Though why we have to teach this to you people long after the 20th century is over - I do not know.

[Cocoa]

8. he thought it would be a cake walk

http://www.alternet.org/images/managed/Blog+Image_paulbremer.jpg

[Beelzebud]

9. Well then he's not only evil, he's a god damned moron too...

[JHB]

10. What do you mean "we", white man?

(if you don't recognize the old joke in the subject line, Google it up)

Yeah, Bremer, nobody except all the people you neocons ignored or fired when they tried to tell you.

:mad: :argh:

[JohnyCanuck]

13. Give that man a medal.

Oh wait, he got one already.


President George W. Bush awards the Presidential Medal of Freedom to former Iraqi administrator L. Paul Bremer III during a ceremony at the White House, December 14, 2004. Former U.S. Army General Tommy R. Franks and former CIA Director George John Tenet also received the nation's highest civilian honor at the ceremony for their contribution to U.S. action in Iraq. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

http://www.medaloffreedom.com/PaulBremer.htm

[unkachuck]

14. "we really didn't....

....see the insurgency coming"....oooooo, ooooooo, what's that I feel?....do I sense smoke being blowin' up my a$$ again?....

....hey bremey, isn't that what we spend 1/2 trillion dollars a year for?....to figure out the obvious?....boy, I bet you wrote a damn good book....