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12/01/2003 Archived Entry: "Wait a second..."
Wait a second...
This is what they were saying about Iraqi insurgents back in June:
Soldiers from the 4th Infantry Division, stationed at the civil military operations center in Samarra, reported hearing three explosions, according to the CentCom statement released Thursday.The soldiers contacted local police, who found the 13 casualties. The attackers were not found and the incident is still under investigation.
Samarra is about 75 miles (121 kilometers) north of Baghdad.
The civil military operations center in Samarra assists with humanitarian efforts by linking the military with governmental agencies and non-governmental organizations in Iraq.
"This is one of numerous incidents recently where Iraqi resistors have attacked Coalition forces or Coalition Provisional Authority locations and injured or killed Iraqi citizens," the CentCom statement said.
Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said Wednesday that attacks on U.S. troops by Iraqi "dead-enders" will continue for some time, but there is no sign of a central or regional organization behind them.
And this is what they're saying about Iraqi insurgents now:
The Iraqi insurgency in Baghdad appears to have a central leadership that finances attacks in the capital and gives broad orders to eight to 12 rebel bands — some with as many as 100 guerrillas, U.S. Army generals said Monday.Decisions on individual attacks against U.S. occupation forces in the capital, however, are left up to the men who carry them out, said Brig. Gen. Martin Dempsey.
[...]
"I'm increasingly of the belief that there's central financial control and central communications," said Dempsey, who commands the Army's 1st Armored Division, which controls Baghdad and the surrounding region.
Our leadership. Put them all together, and maybe you get a half-wit.
Replies: 5 people speak up
File this one under the classic Rumsfeld comment at a press conference shortly after the fall of Baghdad. Speaking about the looting of the National Museum, he snidely remarked (and I'm paraphrasing loosely here):
My goodness, you people keep showing the same footage over and over again of a man carrying a few vases. How many vases can they have in Iraq?
That comment was greeted with universal and approving laughter from the masochistic mediawhores who had just been insulted by the Secty of Defense.
Anywho, Mr. Blah3, I find your efforts to highlight yet another classic Rumsfeld contradiction, er, "unhelpful."
Posted by Metropolitan99 @ 12/02/2003 12:19 PM NY
They're clueless, they don't know who the enemy is.
But it's not like knowing the enemy as you know yourself is important or anything.
Look! Dubya is dressed like Santa and is sneaking into CentCom's chimney!
Posted by salvage @ 12/02/2003 01:18 PM NY
you cant expect their old lies to match with their new lies. thats just unrealistic. it just sounds like a slip up to me, the ministry of truth must have forgotten to destroy the old quote. dont worry, just stuff it down the memory hole and forget about it, in a few days everything will make perfect sense again.
Posted by justin @ 12/02/2003 01:45 PM NY
Well, you can't say they weren't warned. Saddam did say that the troops would be wading into a quagmire, that it would be something they didn't expect, and 'unconventional'.
Remember, THIS is the man in the White House, not the 'polished statesman' his PR teams have made him out to be...
http://quest.cjonline.com/stories/030600/gen_pranks.shtml
Posted by Allison @ 12/03/2003 08:19 PM NY
So I guess the military should gather intelligence from one point in time and never update or change it? Warfare is fluid, the enemy reacts, adapts and changes. The situation on the ground in June is much different than it is now. Why in the world would it surprise anyone that intelligence on enemy capabilities and intentions has evolved over time. That is not a failure, it is a strength.
Congratulations on setting up such a neat strawman and knocking him down with such aplomb!
Posted by Finlay @ 12/05/2003 11:06 AM NY
