Tuesday, October 04, 2005

Retired general William Odom: Iraq invasion was 'strategic disaster': "The invasion of Iraq was the “greatest strategic disaster in United States history,” a retired Army general said yesterday, strengthening an effort in Congress to force an American withdrawal beginning next year., Retired Army Lt. Gen. William Odom, a Vietnam veteran, said the invasion of Iraq alienated America's Middle East allies, making it harder to prosecute a war against terrorists.

"The U.S. should withdraw from Iraq, he said, and reposition its military forces along the Afghan-Pakistani border to capture Osama bin Laden and crush al Qaeda cells."

If the US is ultimately expelled from Iraq (if not the whole of the Middle East), with the region falling under the domination of Iran, Russia, China and Europe, this could be seen as correct. But obviously the US will be (is already) desperate to avoid this outcome, prepared to commit their last reserves of finance and military, risking total disaster. On the other hand, if the decision is taken now, forces could be yanked out of the cauldron and power still projected over the region. It might be compared to Hitler's thrust on Stalingrad and the Caucasus. In spite of being badly exposed, strategic withdrawal is unthinkable for this kind of crazed and incompetent leadership.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

"The invasion of Iraq was the greatest strategic disaster in United States history."

"If the US is ultimately expelled from...the whole of the Middle East..."

"If the pope becomes a muslim and calls for Jihad against spanish speakers then Bush's decision to invade Iraq will be seen as the first step toward porkfree school lunches" said Retired USCG Field Marshall, Alain Dechapeaux, a veteran of the French and Indian war. Mr Dechapeaux spoke through an interpreter from his iron lung at Larry's Goldentime Hospice in Pont Chartreuse, Louisiana.

Big Gav said...

Wow - you've got your own troll - well done Bernard !

Jeff - if you can't see the disaster in the making (for us) that Iraq represents then you are in a bad way my friend.

Turning a country ruled by a secular dictatorship (an unpleasant one, but one little worse than many others around the world) into a free fire zone that is providing a vast training camp for terrorists and teaching a generation of people in the middle east to hate the US is going to go down as one of the largest foreign policy disasters in history.

Bernard said...

well gav, I guess a troll is better than a spam, which is the end.

Jeff, plenty of people in the US elite (not to mention the antiwar movement), even before the war started, warned it was dangerous and ill-advised. Something like the worst-case scenario has now come true.

Anonymous said...

I'm not for the war. But "Biggest strategic disaster ever" seems a little hyperbolic.

Big Gav said...

Touche Jeff - you made me laugh at least :-)

I imagine General Odum was saying "Biggest strategic disaster ever" for the US rather than for anyone, ever. Given that caveat, what would you say the US' biggest strategic mistake has been ?