"Never attribute to malice what can also be explained by incompetence."
From a Washington Post story:
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U.S. military commanders contend they are doing as much as they can to stem the thievery. But they acknowledge they do not have enough troops to patrol every looting-prone part of the city while also focusing on stamping out lingering pockets of resistance and guarding against suicide attacks. Some Iraqis, however, question the allocation of U.S. forces around the capital. They note a whole company of Marines, along with at least a half-dozen amphibious assault vehicles, has been assigned to guard the Oil Ministry, while many other ministries -- including trade, information, planning, health and education -- remain unprotected. "Why just the oil ministry?" Jaf asked. "Is it because they just want our oil?" |
No I don't believe that this was a war for oil, but I do believe that there is much simple stupidity. And this is a level of stupidity that lives at the level of the White House, not the Pentagon. The story also states that a mere five marines could have protected National Museum of Antiquities.
posted at: 22:40 | path: / | permanent link to this entry
