Rumsfeld vs. Powell

[Sayhey]

The Washington Post is reporting that Rumsfeld may finally be losing some of the policy battles around the war in Iraq. In particular, the move to get UN involvement on a much broader scale reflects efforts of Sec. of State Powell and the JCS. The store says in part,

People close to the administration said the Joint Chiefs and Powell (a former chairman of the Joint Chiefs) did not win a bureaucratic battle as much as Rumsfeld lost one. "Rumsfeld lost credibility with the White House because he screwed up the postwar planning," said William Kristol, a conservative publisher with close ties to the administration. "For five months they let Rumsfeld have his way, and for five months Rumsfeld said everything's fine. He wanted to do the postwar with fewer troops than a lot of people advised, and it turned out to be a mistake."

It is instructive that the above quote cites William Kristol a close neoconservative ally of Rumsfeld.

The whole story is at:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A20085-2003Sep3.html

There is also another take on the story at:

http://slate.msn.com/id/2087943/

[zimv20]

yep -- yesterday was the first i'd seen mr. powell on TV in a loooong time. he was talking up the 'getting the UN involved' thing.

now let's see if 'old europe' is willing to play. personally, i think france and germany have every right to tell the US where to stick it. all hail president rumsfeld.

[mactastic]

It's about a year late I'd say.

[IJ Reilly]

Even if the Security Council were to pass a resolution tomorrow, it wouldn't be until the beginning of next year when a significant number of UN troops could be mobilized to Iraq. With the timing so critical, France and Germany, and maybe Russia and China, have every incentive to play hard-ball over the terms, including command structure and who pays the bills. This is where the real payback for unilateralism begins.

[zimv20]

Originally posted by IJ Reilly
This is where the real payback for unilateralism begins.

yep. bush is completely outmatched for this game. here's the type of stuff he has to overcome.

richard perle (21 March 03):

Thank God for the death of the UN.
Its abject failure gave us only anarchy. The world needs order.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,918812,00.html

[IJ Reilly]

Originally posted by zimv20
yep. bush is completely outmatched for this game. here's the type of stuff he has to overcome.

richard perle (21 March 03):

Good grief, I hadn't heard that one before. With the election drawing nigh, it will be interesting to see how President Bush handles the White House hawks, including Perle, Wolfowitz and Rumsfeld. I wouldn't be surprised to see one or all of them deciding to "spend more time with their families" by next spring.