America's rebuilding of Iraq is in chaos, say British

The American-led reconstruction effort in Iraq is "in chaos" and suffering from "a complete absence of strategic direction", a very senior British official in Baghdad has told The Telegraph.

The comments paint a grim picture of American incompetence and mismanagement as the Coalition Provisional Authority struggles to run post-Saddam Iraq.

"This is the single most chaotic organisation I have ever worked for," the official said yesterday.

The source revealed that Paul Bremer, the US administrator in Iraq, had "fewer than 600" staff under his control to run a country the size of France in which the civil infrastructure was on the point of collapse.

"The operation is chronically under-resourced and suffers from an almost complete absence of strategic direction," he added.
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  thanks to BookNotes

It's a quagmire

Things are going from bad to worse, and we don't even have a full-fledged guerilla war on our hands yet.

In another violence-wracked day, another US soldier was killed, while US troops shot two protesters dead.

Protesters throwing stones at military convoys. Massive crowds protesting the US occupation. Temperatures in the 110s. Out of work, desperate former Iraqi soldiers. Heavy-handed US tactics. Lack of basic services.

With these ingredients, is it really surprising that we have lost 52 soldiers since Bush's GI Joe moment on the USS Lincoln?

Update: Jesus, two more. What's distressing is that these attacks will further embolden future attacks, as the mighty, invincible American military machine exposes its weaknesses.

Against a set foe, there is little any enemy can do against US military hardware and cash. But against guerilla fighters, our guys are nothing more than sitting ducks.
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