| I do not think that the status of WMDs has been proven, but, in any case, why would I fault this Administration when similar assessments were made during the Clinton Administration, as the former president has averred? I was not shocked by the intensity of the insurgency. When Rumsfeld was asked about the biggest miscalculation, he did not mention the intensity of the insurgency, but the state of the infrastructure, which was much worse than anticipated. But that goes with the territory of assessing information in a closed society. I knew that we would have some trouble, and I understand why, with the fear of Ba'athist resurgence, the intelligence was slow to come. After Saddam was captured, we got much more help from informants. I think it is better that we have more recruits for the security forces than we can swiftly train rather than depending on tribal irregulars, and it is nice to see so many people willing to stand up and be counted, considering that they have been targets of quite a few car bombs. To put it in other words, I think that it is your side that has an inadequate grasp of the situation, and a rather flat learning curve. Of course, I could be mistaken, but I doubt it....... |
