U.S. Retools Hussein Pleasure Palace as Camp Victory

[Dover]

U.S. Retools Hussein Pleasure Palace as Camp Victory
By THOM SHANKER

Published: June 12, 2004



AGHDAD, Iraq - At a desert retreat where Saddam Hussein's cronies hunted gazelles and entertained mistresses, the American military is building one of its largest overseas bases since the Vietnam War, a rambling, dusty mix of tents, trailers and villas where sandbags rival chandeliers as the second-most notable architectural feature.

That is because at the renamed Camp Victory, the signature design element is the marble column, many with a swirling stone pattern in sandy hues nearly matching those of desert combat fatigues.

The largest palace, called Qasr al Fao, sits in the middle of a man-made lake stocked with carp and catfish, and is the new headquarters for senior military commanders in Iraq.

A third-story palace wall was hit by an American JDAM (Joint Direct Attack Munition) bomb in the war, but the damaged section has been rebuilt to hold a classified planning room that is so overly air-conditioned that it is known as the Meat Locker.

Twenty-four hours a day, officers and staff members climb and descend spiral staircases that recall headquarters from past wars, a simpler era when logistics were more important than information operations. Eisenhower or Patton can be imagined striding these polished floors, but they would hardly recognize the technology that has been injected throughout the palace....cont'd

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/06/12/international/middleeast/12camp.html

[NMDemDist2]

1. "Camp Victory" ?????

:wtf: crap crap crap

[the Kelly Gang]

2. I find this using of Saddam's palaces so distasteful..and what message

is sending to Iraqis ?

[makhno]

3. One more Times hack piece

What is it with these fuckers today!

Eisenhower or Patton can be imagined striding these polished floors

Funny that, the image that came to my mind is of a Rommel or a von Rundstedt striding the polished floors of a French chateau in Normandy, chin up in senseless racial arrogance.

[teryang]

4. Propaganda du jour

Last night while discussing military ideals, a history channel piece on Troy, said that Francis Marion and TOMMY FRANKS were known as foxes because of their superior intelligence and wiley tactics. I really thought that the historical piece was tainted by this bit of propaganda. It almost seemed like they should have said Francis Marion and Rommel, but edited out the latter in favor of TOMMY FRANKS.

I googled Tommy Franks and Fox, and the overwhelming returns were FOX network, as in faux. Also, there was DESERT FOX the operation name and an outlier, Grey Fox, a reference to a covert task force or operation. I saw no reference to Tommy Franks as a desert fox or any other. Perhaps he is a legend in his own mind.

There was an interesting description to human sacrifice in the story, which is intended by rulers to be a demonstration of their arbitrary power and in other cases a demonstration of their commitment. The commentary on Agammemnon and his unflattering reputation for fighting from behind the lines was interesting as were the references to an invading Army which fought not for home and hearth but for greed and conquest.

[Tellurian]

5. Sick, Sick, Sick stuff...

All that waste of electricity while hospitals go without.

Someone needs to kick the ego maniacal military out of Saddam's resort and let them pay attention to business just as the rest of our soldiers are doing in the field.

[leftchick]

6. I remember reading a quote from an Iraqi not long ago....

he was complaining about having electricity in Baghdad for 3 hours on then 3 hours off as compared to the Americans in the green zone never missing a minute of it. The US is clueless.

[Whoa_Nelly]

7. To the victor belongs the spoils

But, SUPPOSEDLY the Americans are in Iraq to "liberate" the Iraqis, not to claim victory/ownership for the US. Taking over any of Saddam's palaces is an egregious injustuce. These buildings and adjoining land belong solely to the Iraqis. :mad:

[Mnemosyne]

8. Shame.

[struggle4progress]

9. Uh, didn't they want to DISTANCE themselves from the last regime?