Top U.S general attacks lack of Iraq war plan
A
retired general who led U.S
forces in Iraq at the start of the insurgency has indicated that he may name and shame the individuals in the Bush
administration he blames for a "catastrophically flawed unrealistically optimistic war plan.
Lt. Gen.Ricardo Sanchez has delivered one of the most damning assessments of American policy in Iraq, becomimg the most senior war commander to do so."There is no question that Americe is living a nightmare with no end in sight," he told reporters in arlington, Verginia.
The White House responded with a statement that though there was more work to be done in Iraq, progress is being made. But what might cause anxiety within the administration was the veiled threat contained in Gen. Sanchez''s comments that he plans to identify individuals.
Asked by reporters to say who in particular he blamed for the chaos in U.S policy, he declined, but added: "More to follow latter." His threat chimes with specualation that he is planning to write a book about his experiences as chief of the US-led forces in 2003/4 during a period that saw the flaring of the early anti-American insurgency and the outbreak of the Abu Ghraib prison abuse scanddal.
Were Gen.Sanchez to put his criticism down on paper he would join a growing line of former offecials who have played out their disgruntlement with the Bush administration in book form.They include Paul Bremer, Gen.Sanchez''s civilian counterpart in Iraq, who published My Year in Iraq in January, 2006, and George Tenet, the former CIA director, who accused the Bush administration of deciding to invade Iraq with little or no debate.
Even without naming names, Gen.Sanchez''s analysis of the mishandling of the occupation of Iraq, delivered on Friday, was piercing."From a catastrophically flawed, unrealistiacally optimistic war plan to the administration''s latest surge strategy, this administration has failed to employ and synchronise its political, economic and military power,"he said.
Asked at what point he thought the mission in Iraq started to go wrong, he replied:"About the 15th of June 2003," That was the day he took command of US forces in the country.
Gen.Sanchez went on to say that after four years of fighting in Iraq, there was still no clarify within the civilian leadership, which he accused of " lust of power" and of failing to mobilize all corners of government for the struggle in Iraq."The administration, Congress and the entire inter-agency, especially the State Department, must shoulder responsibility for the catastrophic failure, and the American people must hold them accountable."