Frontline's "Lost Year in Iraq"

[joemurphy]

It's a horrible indictment of Rumsfeld, Feith, Wolfowitz, Bremer, Rice, and Powell. Amazing ineptitude, arrogance, blundering. It's all here.

[MadMaddie]

1. Is this a documentary?

[joemurphy]

3. Yes, with extensive interviews with Garner, Bremer

and the guy that wrote "Fiasco" among others.

We lost any opportunity for a peaceful transition in Iraq during the first two weeks of Bremer's arrival. His first de-Ba'athification order was totally wrongheaded (and he was told as much at the time by Gen. Jay Garner).
His second order to disband the Iraqi army left 300,000 armed men without jobs and in the streets. The insurgency started for all practical purposes 7 days later.

Reconstruction was handled with a Republican-credentialed litmus test consisting on questions like: Who did you vote for in the last election?; what is your political affiliation?; Are you a Christian or a Muslim?
The entire Iraqi Prison system was placed in the charge of four frat brothers recently graduated from college based on this screening process.

[whistle]

2. Link?

[Squatch]

4. Ummm...it is on TV

[joemurphy]

5. Here's the link

<http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/yeariniraq/>

[whistle]

6. thanks

[Ilsa]

7. Watching. Excellent doc.

Abu Ghraib became a "training ground" for insurgents after they were picked up in these massive sweeps of the population and interrogated and tortured.