Some people think MY words on Bush and his failed leadership are too strong. Look at what a Republican Marine General and expert on Iraq has to say!


Ex-general: War ill-conceived

Sat May 29, 9:40 AM ET

By Vincent J. Schodolski Chicago Tribune national correspondent

The man who once drew up a U.S. battle plan to invade Iraq thinks the United States is in deep trouble in that country because of bad planning and an ill-conceived rush to war driven by a few officials in Washington.

Retired Marine Gen. Anthony Zinni, who formerly headed the U.S. Central Command that oversees military strategy and execution in the Middle East, said the drive to topple Saddam Hussein and reshape the region was botched and that the blame lies at the highest level of U.S. civilian authority.

"I think in the start the concept was wrong," Zinni said in an interview. "The original idea that we would change the Middle East, that was wrong."

That concept, originated by advisers close to President Bush, held that the establishment of a democratic government in Iraq would shake dictatorial and traditional regimes in the Middle East, force changes to more moderate governments and thus enhance security for Israel.

Zinni said that, instead, U.S. actions had the opposite effect, had seriously damaged the effectiveness of Washington's policy in the region and led millions to view the U.S. military as part of a modern crusade.

"My problem is with the civilian leadership in the Pentagon," the retired general said. "It has to start with the senior leaders from the secretary [of defense, Donald Rumsfeld] on down. That's where the responsibility lies."

He said those responsible should lose their jobs.

After leaving the Marines in 2000, Zinni was a special U.S. adviser in the Middle East and tried to broker a peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians.

Zinni, 60, says that faulty intelligence or manipulated intelligence was a key cause of the present problem in Iraq.

On book tour

He is promoting a book written by author Tom Clancy with his cooperation. Entitled "Battle Ready," it chronicles Zinni's life and career and includes his views on the Iraq situation.

In the book Zinni says: "In the lead-up to the Iraq war and its later conduct I saw, at a minimum, true dereliction, negligence and irresponsibility; at worse, lying, incompetence and corruption."

Explaining those words in the interview, Zinni said he meant decisions ranging from sending into battle a force that was too small and failing to plan for what would follow the defeat of Iraq's armed forces, including the looting and revenge killings that took place.

In the battle plan he drew up for an invasion of Iraq, Zinni said he called for 300,000 troops, more than twice the number sent in early 2003, and that he anticipated that chaos would follow the collapse of Hussein's decades-long totalitarian rule.

"I knew the U.S. military would have to clean up the mess," Zinni said.

The intelligence failure was, in part, due to bad information provided by people with personal stakes in removing Hussein, he said.

"We bought into all those exiles' stories," Zinni said of Iraqis advising the Bush administration, including Ahmad Chalabi, who was particularly favored by Pentagon officials.

Chalabi was one of the administration's main sources when developing intelligence on weapons of mass destruction Iraq was thought to have. The belief that Hussein had such weapons was a major rationale for the pre-emptive strike against Iraq. No large stores of chemical, biological, or nuclear weapons have been found.

The administration this month had a public break with Chalabi, a man who sat near First Lady Laura Bush during the president's last State of the Union address in January. Iraqi police and U.S. soldiers raided Chalabi's Baghdad headquarters and seized computers and other items.

Chalabi denunciation

Although coalition forces later said Chalabi was not the target of the raid, Chalabi angrily denounced the U.S. and said he no longer had a relationship with the coalition governing Iraq until the end of June.

"There were a series of bad decisions," Zinni said, adding that it was more than just bad intelligence.

In addition to committing too few troops, Zinni said it had been a mistake to disband the Iraqi army, a move that left 300,000 to 400,000 men jobless.

He also said the decision to deny work to ranking members of the Baath Party had been another error since it denied employment to people in many vital jobs. These included teachers, doctors, lawyers and many skilled workers. Party membership was previously a requirement for many jobs in Iraq.

Although he is a registered Republican who voted for Bush in 2000, Zinni told The Associated Press that he would not support the president's re-election unless there were major personnel changes in the Defense Department.



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