OOOHHHHH REALLY...??
I asked for more troops in Iraq: Bremer
Link Here
Lieutenant Paul Bremer, who led the US civilian occupation authority in Iraq after the 2003 invasion, says he urged that more troops be sent to the country.
The former diplomat has told NBC that he sent a memo to Mr Rumsfeld suggesting that half a million soldiers would be needed - three times the number deployed by the Bush administration.
"I never had any reaction from him," Mr Bremer told NBC's Brian Williams on Dateline.
Although he never heard back from his direct boss, Mr Bremer says he did discuss his concerns with Mr Bush.
Quoting Mr Bremer, the network says Mr Bush replied that he would try to get more troops from other countries "but made no mention of increasing the number of American forces".
Mr Bremer also thought the Pentagon painted a false picture of the capability of the Iraqi force, who would take over when the Americans departed.
"I raised my concerns about the numbers and quality of these [Iraqi] forces, really right from the beginning," he said.
Asked why he did not go public with his concerns, Mr Bremer defended what he considered his obligation to "tell the President what you think ... in private, through the appropriate channels, as I tried to do".
Many critics fault the administration for not posting sufficient American troops in Iraq, including in Baghdad, to contain post-war violence.
Mr Bush's public opinion ratings have declined considerably as the insurgency in Iraq has claimed more American and Iraqi lives.
The comments by Mr Bremer, who during his tenure as Iraq's ruling administrator defended US policy, could fan a new wave of criticism.
Despite his criticisms, Mr Bremer says he still supports the war in Iraq.
"We've got young Americans dying over there still today - that is a painful price of war -that doesn't make it wrong, it just makes it difficult," he said.
- Reuters
--Insert furious expletives here...--
Link Here
Lieutenant Paul Bremer, who led the US civilian occupation authority in Iraq after the 2003 invasion, says he urged that more troops be sent to the country.
The former diplomat has told NBC that he sent a memo to Mr Rumsfeld suggesting that half a million soldiers would be needed - three times the number deployed by the Bush administration.
"I never had any reaction from him," Mr Bremer told NBC's Brian Williams on Dateline.
Although he never heard back from his direct boss, Mr Bremer says he did discuss his concerns with Mr Bush.
Quoting Mr Bremer, the network says Mr Bush replied that he would try to get more troops from other countries "but made no mention of increasing the number of American forces".
Mr Bremer also thought the Pentagon painted a false picture of the capability of the Iraqi force, who would take over when the Americans departed.
"I raised my concerns about the numbers and quality of these [Iraqi] forces, really right from the beginning," he said.
Asked why he did not go public with his concerns, Mr Bremer defended what he considered his obligation to "tell the President what you think ... in private, through the appropriate channels, as I tried to do".
Many critics fault the administration for not posting sufficient American troops in Iraq, including in Baghdad, to contain post-war violence.
Mr Bush's public opinion ratings have declined considerably as the insurgency in Iraq has claimed more American and Iraqi lives.
The comments by Mr Bremer, who during his tenure as Iraq's ruling administrator defended US policy, could fan a new wave of criticism.
Despite his criticisms, Mr Bremer says he still supports the war in Iraq.
"We've got young Americans dying over there still today - that is a painful price of war -that doesn't make it wrong, it just makes it difficult," he said.
- Reuters
--Insert furious expletives here...--
posted by Christy at 4:12 AM
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