Iraqi Leaders Say U.S. Warned of Disorder After SH, but Little Was Done

[UpInArms]

via NY Times http://makeashorterlink.com/?L46D23BA6

BAGHDAD, Iraq, Nov. 29 — In the months before the Iraq invasion, Iraqi exile leaders trooped through the White House, the Pentagon and the State Department carrying a message about the future of their homeland: without a strong plan for managing Iraq after toppling Saddam Hussein, widespread looting and violence would erupt.

"On many occasions, I told the Americans that from the very moment the regime fell, if an alternative government was not ready there would be a power vacuum and there would be chaos and looting," said Massoud Barzani, leader of the Kurdistan Democratic Party and a longtime ally of the United States. "Given our history, it is very obvious this would occur."

Similar warnings came from international relief experts and from within the United States government. In 1999 the same military command that was preparing to attack Iraq conducted a detailed war game that found that toppling Mr. Hussein risked creating a major security void, said Gen. Anthony C. Zinni, who headed the command.

But as Pentagon officials hurriedly prepared for war last winter, they envisioned Iraq after the fall of Mr. Hussein's government as far more manageable.

...more...

hmmmm...

Chalabi is trying to wipe his guilt onto someone else now?

Chalabi was the one that convinced them they would be viewed as "liberators" and would be getting "sweets and flowers".

[Cocoa]

1. the WMD info too

the Iraqi exiles could be counted on to tell the neocons what they wanted to hear.

The NYT printed a lot of their WMD garbage too.

[Media_Lies_Daily]

3. How do you know they weren't being paid to parrot the NeoCon line?

[Cocoa]

6. the invasion was their payment

plus we gave Chalabi and his thugs a lift to Iraq. We set them up nicely, let them go around stealing houses and looting banks.

[Media_Lies_Daily]

2. Why blame Chalabi or any other anti-Saddam Iraqi?...

The ultimate decision to attack both Afghanistan and Iraq was up to the NeoCons, and input from outside their little circle was definitely discouraged, to say the least.

[UpInArms]

8. not picking only on Chalabi

but think it a bit disingenuous for the IRC to now say that they "forewarned" of chaos, when their leader (Chalabi) said exactly that - that it would be easy and they (Iraqis) would accept him as the newly installed leader (puppet of US policy).

I don't "blame" anyone but the BFEE and the junta for this war and the subsequent mess -

if anyone "warned" the WH and the policymakers it was us (people like you and me - the aware citizens) that protested in the street, wrote letters and did everything we knew how to do to stop the train.

Here's an interesting link (has some great quotes) for you

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/truth/etc/script.html

[jpgray]

4. Chalabi is an albatross

Kick him out of Iraq and into Jordan, and two countries will rest happier than before.

[ConcernedCanuk]

5. This "power vacuum" was explained to me shortly after Bush Sr.

. . "did his thing" in the 90's.

. . I questioned peoople WHY did they not "finish Saddam off" so to speak,

and after this "vacuum" thing was explained to me

- I understood that "bad" control, was preferable to "no" control.

A hard pill to swallow, but I UNDERSTOOD it.

I ain't no political science genius, or anthropologist, but at least I UNDERSTOOD it.

I believe that Junior and his gang also understood, but didn't give a sh_t.

And The Cowboy and his gang of thugs STILL don't give a sh_t,

well, they DO care as to how they can "spin" it to get reSelected.

Just My Humble Canuk Opinion

[bvar22]

9. You are correct,CC.

Poppy bush clearly predicted this EXACT results would occur if he removed Saddam from power in Iraq following Gulf War I.

Poppy doesn't seem very fond of his demon offspring lately.

[ConcernedCanuk]

7. double post - deleted

[markses]

10. This is US - Chalabi Strategy

Chalabi is a criminal, and a criminal in concert with the criminals at 1600 Pennsylvania and DOD.

So, why all the criticism of criminal conspirators coming from Chalabi. Because they are setting him up as the new Karzai of Iraq - for after his rotation as IGC Prez ends: he's our new Ngo Dinh Diem, but they must convince Iraqis that he is no puppet. So, solution: have him criticize Washington at every opportunity. This creates the illusion of independence. Just wait: anytime somebody accuses Chalabi of being a houseboy for the criminal conspirators in DC, some pundit will haul out these so-called "opposition" statements of his and drawl, obnoxiously: How could he be a puppet if he says such things? The man has been criticizing the Bush admin from the git-go.

Uh huh.

His most vitriolic critiques began just after the infamous and embarassing Bremer CYA visit to DC. The bullet point clearly looked as follows:

* Chalabi must step up his criticism of US efforts in order to create independent appearance. Instructions and limits to follow.

And so it goes. We're "thrilled" by the critiques, which - needless to say, don't make a damn bit of difference - and Chalabi creates an illusion of critical distance sufficient to paint him as independent for the American media audience. Needless to say, the same illusion is less effective in Iraq itself, where the RPGs will continue to slam into coalition vehicles, the shells will continue to land on compound grounds and TOCs throughout the theater, and the IED epidemic will grow, rhizomatically, as it were.

This is a Mickey Mouse operation, and I'm talking Fantasia, with the brooms...