Mullen's Plain Talk About U.S. Mistakes in Iraq
U.S. Navy Adm. Michael Mullen, President Bush's nominee to head the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has some pretty interesting answers to a question posed to him by the Senate Armed Services Committee. As the IraqSlogger blog notes, the admiral listed in writing seven major mistakes in Iraq in response to a policy question asked in advance of Tuesday's hearing. The seven mistakes Mullen noted are that the United States:
1. Did not fully integrate all elements of U.S. national power in Iraq.2. Focused most attention on the Iraqi national power structures with limited engagement of the tribal and local power structures.
3. Did not establish an early and significant dialogue with neighboring countries, adding to the complex security environment a problematic border situation.
4. Disbanded the entire Iraqi Army, a potentially valuable asset for security, reconstruction, and provision of services to the Iraqi people, providing a recruiting pool for extremist groups.
5. Pursued a de-Baathification process that proved more divisive than helpful, created a lingering vacuum in governmental capability that still lingers, and exacerbated sectarian tensions.
6. Attempted to transition to stability operations with an insufficient force.
7. Unsuccessful in communicating and convincing Iraqis and regional audience of our intended goals.
U.S. News & World Report's Terry Atlas writes that Mullen "didn't name names, but he hardly needed to since these mistakes were based on key decisions and orders so closely tied to former Iraq occupation chief Paul Bremer (who disbanded the Army and ordered de-Baathification), former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld (who held down troop levels and froze out the State Department in post-war planning), Vice President Cheney, and President Bush himself."
Always nice for the president when his own nominee hangs him and many of his top appointees out to dry -- even if he's polite enough not to use names.
3:08 PM ET | 08- 1-2007 | permalink
