Hoon admits fatal errors in planning for postwar Iraq

[maddezmom]

Source: The Guardian

Wednesday May 2, 2007

A catalogue of errors over planning for Iraq after the invasion, and an inability to influence key figures in the US administration, led to anarchy in Iraq from which the country has not recovered, the British defence secretary during the invasion admits today.

In an exclusive interview with the Guardian, Geoff Hoon reveals that Britain disagreed with the US administration over two key decisions in May 2003, two months after the invasion - to disband Iraq's army and "de-Ba'athify" its civil service. Mr Hoon also said he and other senior ministers completely underestimated the role and influence of the vice-president, Dick Cheney.

"Sometimes ... Tony had made his point with the president, and I'd made my point with Don and Jack had made his point with Colin and the decision actually came out of a completely different place. And you think: what did we miss? I think we missed Cheney."

~snip~

Of the summary dismissal of Iraq's 350,000-strong army and police forces, Mr Hoon said the Americans were uncompomising: "We certainly argued against . I recall having discussions with Donald Rumsfeld, but I recognised that it was one of those judgment calls. I would have called it the other way. His argument was that the Iraqi army was so heavily politicised that we couldn't be sure that we would not retain within it large elements of Saddam's people."

Mr Hoon, now minister for Europe, accepted that the sacking of so many Iraqis in possession of weapons and military training had been catastrophic, allowing "Saddam's people to link up with al-Qaida and to link up ultimately with Sunni insurgents" in fomenting suicide attacks and sectarian violence.





Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,,2070256,00.html?gusrc=rss&feed=1

[Hissyspit]

1. I read that interview earlier tonight. Was pretty disgusted. n/t

[muriel_volestrangler]

2. Hoon never seemed to do anything as Defence Secretary

He was so anonymous. And then when the David Kelly affair came to light, all he did was say "sorry, my officials didn't consult me on that". He's a waste of space, trying to justify his continued job in government.

[LeftishBrit]

5. He is slimy

Never could stand him. I have never been quite sure to what extent he really is an incompetent who leaves everything to his officials, and to what extent he gets others to do his dirty work and then lets them take the blame. But his role in the David Kelly affair was disgusting; and his general performance as Defence Secretary was feeble.

[xchrom]

3. BREAKING: hoon admits obvious! republicks are idiots!

[dave_p]

4. No, Minister

"I recognised that it was one of those judgment calls. I would have called it the other way"

So that makes it ok, does it? You just accept the disbandment of the only force capable of holding society together and shrug it off as a "judgment call"?

No, it wasn't a judgment call, maintenance of public order is the legal responsibility of the occupying power. You don't get to call. Dissolving the army in an already ungovernable situation was a crime.

Why did the Brits go along with this? Why did they go along with the whole criminal venture? Blair and Hoon are as guilty as Cheney - don't let them off the hook.

[ProgressiveEconomist]

6. k&r: More key evidence for Cheney's impeachment file

[Canuckistanian]

7. Gee. Ya think?

Fatal errors? In Iraq?

I'm gobsmacked.

[Barrett808]

8. Cheney Iraq role reviewed in Britain

Source: Associated Press

Cheney Iraq role reviewed in Britain
By ROBERT BARR

LONDON - Britain's defense secretary during the Iraq war says London underestimated Vice President Dick Cheney's influence, adding another voice to the growing view that the U.S.-led coalition failed to plan properly for the aftermath of

Saddam Hussein's ouster, a newspaper reported Wednesday.

But Geoff Hoon, who was defense secretary in Prime Minister Tony Blair's government from 1999 until 2005, said intelligence officials had believed Saddam was amassing weapons of mass destruction and that the allies did not lie about why they went to war.

In an interview with The Guardian newspaper, Hoon said "we didn't plan for the right sort of aftermath."

"Maybe we were too optimistic about the idea of the streets being lined with cheering people. Although I have reconciled it in my own mind, we perhaps didn't do enough to see it through the Sunni perspective. Perhaps we should have done more to understand their position," Hoon was quoted as saying.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070502/ap_on_re_eu/britain_iraq

[dave_p]

9. What a creep

So Hoon's "reconciled it in his own mind", has he? 850,000 dead, and "perhaps" he should have done more to understand the nightmare he and his cronies were unleashing.

British intelligence officials did not believe Saddam was "amassing weapons of mass destruction", they were told to provide evidence for that conclusion.

Now they all blame Cheney. No, last time I looked Britain was supposed to have a government. What a shame it ended up in the hands of such spineless cowards.