Hey Serotta: Come on out and play. The rebuilding of Iraq
#1
05-12-2003, 09:27 AM
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Hey Serotta: Come on out and play. The rebuilding of Iraq
We haven't had a good food fight for weeks now that the war is over. Still, I have been following both US and non US sources on the situation over there.
Latest, and potentially a biggie, issue is the almost complete overhaul of the organization that is tasked with rebuilding Iraq's infrastructure and government. Seems like Garner and a good number of his top staff are being shown the door after a very short period of time. Depending on your point of view of course but it seems to me we are close to a level three FUBAR alert and W and some of his boys have decided to change the whole team out.
I read or read into things differently than many on this board but it strikes me that we are seeing a continuation of the very nasty infighting between the Defense Dept. and the State Dept. that has sort of been going on from the get go. State got to appoint the members of the organization but it reports to CentCom and that didn't seem to work. I do not present this as fact but my read is that CentCom could not guarantee the safety of the team and they have been bottled up in one of the palaces from day one and have done little on the ground stuff to get things going again. The NYT had a story line about the team demanding 50 interpreters that they apparently did not get and it seems to be very difficult to communicate with the mid level people who will eventually get things actually running.
This is just a thought starter post and I have to run for a while but wondered if you had any thoughts on this development.
Bill
Latest, and potentially a biggie, issue is the almost complete overhaul of the organization that is tasked with rebuilding Iraq's infrastructure and government. Seems like Garner and a good number of his top staff are being shown the door after a very short period of time. Depending on your point of view of course but it seems to me we are close to a level three FUBAR alert and W and some of his boys have decided to change the whole team out.
I read or read into things differently than many on this board but it strikes me that we are seeing a continuation of the very nasty infighting between the Defense Dept. and the State Dept. that has sort of been going on from the get go. State got to appoint the members of the organization but it reports to CentCom and that didn't seem to work. I do not present this as fact but my read is that CentCom could not guarantee the safety of the team and they have been bottled up in one of the palaces from day one and have done little on the ground stuff to get things going again. The NYT had a story line about the team demanding 50 interpreters that they apparently did not get and it seems to be very difficult to communicate with the mid level people who will eventually get things actually running.
This is just a thought starter post and I have to run for a while but wondered if you had any thoughts on this development.
Bill
#2
05-12-2003, 01:05 PM
Bill, I must admit I haven't been following things close enough to comment on the recent developments. Two and a half weeks ago I was hit by a car while riding my bicycle with a friend. While the injury was not serious, it did require a hospital visit and some stitches, compresses, and observation for 24 hours. All this in the midst of preparing for a trip to Mississippi for a planned mini bicycle riding vacation. I have been fairly busy at a local level getting all this arranged.
BUT, the rapid transition to another occupational/advisory force would signal some unrest in Washington. Seems like they're removing all connection with the military and trying to get some diplomats in the picture. Most of Garner's staff is on their way out of the country or leaving in the next week or two. Some haven't been in place over 3 weeks.
I noticed DEBKA and a few other such sites didn't have much to say about the newest transition.
Found a rather interesting quote the other day:
"I see in the near future a crisis approaching that unnerves me and causes me to tremble for the safety of my country....corporations have been enthroned and an era of corruption in high places will follow, and the money of the country will endeavor to prolong its reign by working upon the prejudices of the people until all wealth is aggregated in a few hands and the Republic is destroyed."
none other than - Abe Lincoln
BUT, the rapid transition to another occupational/advisory force would signal some unrest in Washington. Seems like they're removing all connection with the military and trying to get some diplomats in the picture. Most of Garner's staff is on their way out of the country or leaving in the next week or two. Some haven't been in place over 3 weeks.
I noticed DEBKA and a few other such sites didn't have much to say about the newest transition.
Found a rather interesting quote the other day:
"I see in the near future a crisis approaching that unnerves me and causes me to tremble for the safety of my country....corporations have been enthroned and an era of corruption in high places will follow, and the money of the country will endeavor to prolong its reign by working upon the prejudices of the people until all wealth is aggregated in a few hands and the Republic is destroyed."
none other than - Abe Lincoln
#3
05-12-2003, 08:37 PM
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Evening John:
Wow, sorry to hear about your accident. I will take your word for it that you were not seriously hurt.
As you indicated you were about to take a little vaca, I will sort of let this one sit on idle till you return.
As a quick side note, I too have noticed that Debka has sort of laid off of the Iraqi news and are much more focused on a whole range of anti Palestinian stuff (no surprise there) and I was really disappointed that they dropped the bombshell thread about Saddam being in Belarus or somewhere else in the former USSR.
Certainly seems he has survived along perhaps with his two sons and the SOBs got to be somewhere. In the conspiracy theory mode, I could imagine that we probably do know where they are but we don't want to know if you get my drift. Just kidding, I think.
Recover well and have a great holiday. I was never into cycling myself but I put a lot of miles on bikes about 15 years ago and the rush is sort of similar although a bike is just a tad faster and noisier.
Bill
Wow, sorry to hear about your accident. I will take your word for it that you were not seriously hurt.
As you indicated you were about to take a little vaca, I will sort of let this one sit on idle till you return.
As a quick side note, I too have noticed that Debka has sort of laid off of the Iraqi news and are much more focused on a whole range of anti Palestinian stuff (no surprise there) and I was really disappointed that they dropped the bombshell thread about Saddam being in Belarus or somewhere else in the former USSR.
Certainly seems he has survived along perhaps with his two sons and the SOBs got to be somewhere. In the conspiracy theory mode, I could imagine that we probably do know where they are but we don't want to know if you get my drift. Just kidding, I think.
Recover well and have a great holiday. I was never into cycling myself but I put a lot of miles on bikes about 15 years ago and the rush is sort of similar although a bike is just a tad faster and noisier.
Bill
#4
05-13-2003, 10:27 PM
One last check before pulling out for Mississippi.....
Talking about Saddam and his brood with a few of the guys going with me. Someone quoted a website or news site that said he was hidding somewhere in Iraq in the Bagdad vicinity and his two sons were also in Iraq, but in different locations. In reference to your comment of "we don't want to know....." Sometimes I feel that our intelligence community ain't pulling their own weight.
Seems the "in with the new, and out with the old" is taking place in US command strategy faster than anticipated. Some of the leading Iraqi's are a little P O'ed about the choice of new reconstruction leadership from the US. Goes back to close ties with Kissinger who the Iraqis kurds think screwed them in the Iran, Iraq dealings back a decade or so ago. Wonder if we'll ever know exactly why the entire team was replaced so suddenly.
Okay, on to more important things, Tire pressure (125 PSI), check; box of Powerbars, check; Three bottles of Gatorade mixed with water, check; three spare tubes, check; and it goes on and on..... If I carry much more, I'll need a car to follow me with all the supplies, and there goes the fun of an unsupported biking trip.
Talk to you next week Bill.....
John
Talking about Saddam and his brood with a few of the guys going with me. Someone quoted a website or news site that said he was hidding somewhere in Iraq in the Bagdad vicinity and his two sons were also in Iraq, but in different locations. In reference to your comment of "we don't want to know....." Sometimes I feel that our intelligence community ain't pulling their own weight.
Seems the "in with the new, and out with the old" is taking place in US command strategy faster than anticipated. Some of the leading Iraqi's are a little P O'ed about the choice of new reconstruction leadership from the US. Goes back to close ties with Kissinger who the Iraqis kurds think screwed them in the Iran, Iraq dealings back a decade or so ago. Wonder if we'll ever know exactly why the entire team was replaced so suddenly.
Okay, on to more important things, Tire pressure (125 PSI), check; box of Powerbars, check; Three bottles of Gatorade mixed with water, check; three spare tubes, check; and it goes on and on..... If I carry much more, I'll need a car to follow me with all the supplies, and there goes the fun of an unsupported biking trip.
Talk to you next week Bill.....
John
