I think it has to be marked up as a failure of the US military buildup not to have the US Army Corp of Engineers ready to implement power systems from mobile setups. The article states that intelligence was already aware that Iraq was 70% underpowered =pre-war= without damage. The US already was making contingency plans on food, but little about electricity, and it surely could have been much much worse for the power grid. The fact that electricity is vital to jobs as well as physical well-being (A/C, water systems, sewage) means that more attention was needed in this area.
Nonetheless, reporting should concentrate on what is going right, in the face of continued grenade attacks and gunfights. An awful lot of good stuff, imaginative US know-how and improvising taking place.
Once again, Bush is being mishandled by the handlers. When asked about the Yellowcake responsibility, he should have said, "Last week's news." He should have quoted the WSJ about four times, and used the phrase 'petrified we may leave': "Overall, the vast majority of Iraqis are not concerned about our the US military in their country, they are =petrified= that we may leave. They are afraid to take advantage of the removal of oppression, because oppression hurt them in so many ways, for so long." |
