U.S. Courting Former Baath Party Members

[PfcHammer]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=540&ncid=721&e=7&u=/ap/20040422/ap_on_re_mi_ea/us_iraq

U.S. Courting Former Baath Party Members
33 minutes ago

By DEB RIECHMANN, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON - The United States, in a major change of strategy, is considering offering government jobs in Iraq (news - web sites) to former senior officers of Saddam Hussein (news - web sites)'s military and the ousted Baath Party, administration officials said Thursday.

U.S. officials hope that bringing back members of the powerful Sunni minority will strengthen Sunni support for the U.S.-led coalition and reduce violence by weakening support for insurgents in the Sunni Triangle.

The policy of blacklisting leaders of Saddam's Baath Party was designed to screen out criminals from playing roles in post-war Iraq, State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said.

But, he said, people who have clean records and who were party members only because their jobs required it are not targeted for punishment.

<chop>

[radwriter0555]

1. this is like the US hiring NAZIS to run germany after hitler was ousted...

now... isn't it?

[KurtNilsen]

13. Yeah, and it worked like a charm then. This the administration

correcting a stupid mistake.

This is done on the reccomendation of the UN.

It was stupid Rumsfeld who threw about half a million people into unemployment. I guess he wanted to do to Iraq what Bush did to the USA

[Renew Deal]

2. Might as well bring back Saddam.

Is there anything left?

[radwriter0555]

4. Halliburton will hire saddam as a CONSULTANT...

whatta ya wanna bet?

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

12. If Saddam becomes a born again Christian, asks for forgiveness,

blames it all on youthful indiscretion, as well as on Clinton, he'll become a GOP darling.

[arcane1]

3. remember at first when the attacks were all "former Baath members"

then they became "Saddam loyalists"

since they are now just "thugs and terrorists" that must mean the Baathists aren't attacking us anymore

:eyes:

[bobthedrummer]

5. Just like the CIA recruited Nazis, the Mafia, drug cartels, terrorists,

and RW fruitcakes of every sort, just like how NOW the administration of George W. Bush aka The War President employs cronies as mercenaries, he's doing Osama Bin Laden's work for him inasmuch as increasing anti-Americanism, and whoever heard of the USMC taking reprisals for the death and corpse mutilation of private army operatives, mercenaries- let alone attempting the shutting down of the free world press.

Now Chalabi's gang have truly failed, as most professionals in predicting the outcome of these things said, before the war on Iraq began, when the lies of Ahmed Chalabi were critically questioned by experts ignored and silenced by the neo-conservative traitors and their allies imo that took US to war against Iraq based on lies so bad that now George W. Bush has to consider putting in Saddam's political party leadership in the post-Saddam era--FUBAR

I think it's part of why 9/11 was LIHOP, don't you?

[KurtNilsen]

14. Actually, I think Chalabi is largely responsible for the harebrained

scheme to fire all members of the barth parti.

[bobthedrummer]

23. It's a defeat of Chalabi and the neo-conservatives that bet the farm with

him, and wouldn't listen to expert opinion by intelligence worldwide.

[Danieljay]

6. Is this a Bush Regime Flip Flop? n/t

[maddezmom]

8. looks to be

:shrug:

[KurtNilsen]

15. Yes it is. But, it is a good flip/flop... but a flip/flop nevertheless

[Solly Mack]

7. An article in LBN a few days ago mentions "training in America"

by these former senior officers of Saddam....now couple that with Negroponte taking over for Bremer.


Saddam's officers would proclaim a curfew of 7 PM (for example), then start shooting anyone still on the streets beginning at 7 PM. They would do this for a day or two--that was all it took. Next they would limit market time-then shoot all shoppers not out of the market by the set time. Within a week, they had the entire city subdued and following the times set down. This is the story Iraqis told my husband. This is how Saddam's officers maintained order-according to the Shiites my husband worked with...in all fairness, my husband did not have much, if any, contact with Sunnis..he was in a Shiite-dominated city.


One of my soldier hubby's job was to root out (arrest and detain) the Baathists while establishing and training IP. (Iraqi Police) A job he said that kept he forever busy and forever frustrated. Now America is bringing the Baathists back to "help." When he read about this a few days ago, he just shook his head. Disgust would be putting it mildly.

I asked him if he thought maybe the only reason his job was to seek out and detain Baathists was for this exact purpose-to have them together for future use and training. He said "with Bush in office, such wouldn't surprise me."

He did say some people joined the Baathists party because it was required in order to get work to support their families (and to remain safe) BUT...that officers who couldn't buy their rank..and many did...earned their rank by doing their jobs (gunning down those after curfew) willingly, thoroughly and efficiently..

[Spazito]

9. It is the mirror of the enemy of my enemy is my friend...

ala the Rumsfeld picture with Saddam. It is, yet again, proof of the unmitigated hypocrisy of this administration.

[Beetwasher]

10. I Suspect That Any Baathist they Hire Will In Fact Be a Mole

for the resistance.

[Oak]

11. Stupid idea

The US must target the ideology. This will surely fail. It must choose people that are friendly and not part of the previous regime.

[KurtNilsen]

16. I disagree....The ranks of the bath party included hundred of thousands

of ordinary Iraqis...

Do you remember the first administration in Iraq, the one before Bremer. He was sacked because he did not want to do Rumsfelds bidding and kick all the bath party people out. Then Rummie sendt Bremer and the first thing he did was to send about half a million middle class iraqis into unemployment,

Off course that caused resentment. In addition, vital skills that are needed to run the place were left unused.

The UN is the one who is urging that these people are reintroduced.

[0007]

18. Give me a link where the UN want this to happen

In my opinion the bath party presents heat scores to be settled from the old Saddam Hussein days.

'Tis a dumb idea that won't work.

[Oak]

19. So....

The Nazi party included hundreds of thousands of ordinary Germans too. Still doesn't mean they should have been allowed back to government.

[prolesunited]

22. I would like to see that UN link as well

Why are you here championing Bush policies? :shrug:

[0007]

24. I've looked all over for a UN link - Haven't found one yet

It appears KurtNilsen is pulling our chain!

[MrSlayer]

17. This is so retarded. Just put Saddam back in place.

What would the difference be?

[Cocoa]

20. how new is this?

is this a flip flop of a flip flop, because I thought they tried this long ago. I recall a 60 minutes piece that referred to complaints about some bad Baathists that were in positions of authority.

[0rganism]

21. I'll just take this as an admission of abject policy failure

Man, these fuckheads can't get anything right. Next time, they oughta listen to the "focus groups".

[Moderator]

25. duplicate

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=502449