One of Zinni‘s responsibilities while commander-in-chief at Centcom was to develop a plan for the invasion of Iraq. Like his predecessors, he subscribed to the belief that you only enter battle with overwhelming force.
But Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld thought the job could be done with fewer troops and high-tech weapons.
How many troops did Zinni’s plan call for? “We were much in line with Gen. Shinseki’s view,” says Zinni. “We were talking about, you know, 300,000, in that neighborhood.”
What difference would it have made if 300,000 troops had been sent in, instead of 180,000?
“I think it’s critical in the aftermath, if you’re gonna go to resolve a conflict through the use of force, and then to rebuild the country,” says Zinni.
“The first requirement is to freeze the situation, is to gain control of the security. To patrol the streets. To prevent the looting. To prevent the ‘revenge’ killings that might occur. To prevent bands or gangs or militias that might not have your best interests at heart from growing or developing.”
I want, as should any responsible citizen, to kick Donald Rumsfeld’s sorry ass.
Last month, Secretary Rumsfeld acknowledged that he hadn’t anticipated the level of violence that would continue in Iraq a year after the war began. Should he have been surprised?
“He should not have been surprised.”
Is anyone quite so doggedly stupid as a prideful, know-nothing man.
Link: Sixty Minutes
