Pentagon report reveals catalogue of failure

[achtung_circus]

<http://www.sundayherald.com/46389>

US admits the war for ‘hearts and minds’ in Iraq is now lost


Pentagon report reveals catalogue of failure
By Neil Mackay, Investigations Editor


THE Pentagon has admitted that the war on terror and the invasion and occupation of Iraq have increased support for al-Qaeda, made ordinary Muslims hate the US and caused a global backlash against America because of the “self-serving hypocrisy” of George W Bush’s administration over the Middle East.

The mea culpa is contained in a shockingly frank “strategic communications” report, written this autumn by the Defence Science Board for Pentagon supremo Donald Rumsfeld.

On “the war of ideas or the struggle for hearts and minds”, the report says, “American efforts have not only failed, they may also have achieved the opposite of what they intended”.

“American direct intervention in the Muslim world has paradoxically elevated the stature of, and support for, radical Islamists, while diminishing support for the United States to single digits in some Arab societies.”

Referring to the repeated mantra from the White House that those who oppose the US in the Middle East “hate our freedoms”, the report says: “Muslims do not ‘hate our freedoms’, but rather, they hate our policies. The overwhelming majority voice their objections to what they see as one-sided support in favour of Israel and against Palestinian rights, and the long-standing, even increasing support, for what Muslims collectively see as tyrannies, most notably Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Pakistan and the Gulf states.

[mcctatas]

1. Rummy's not gonna like this...

can't wait to see his reaction. Somebody's gonna get fired, although it will probably not be the people who should be!

[rodeodance]

5. something odd here as article says Rummy made the mea culpa.

.....The mea culpa is contained in a shockingly frank “strategic communications” report, written this autumn by the Defence Science Board for Pentagon supremo Donald Rumsfeld.

[mom cat]

18. Mea Culpa made in a report FOR not BY rummy.

[seafan]

2. I cannot believe my eyes!

This is from RUMSFELD?????

Just speechless, I am.

[mom cat]

19. Not FROM rummy but TO rummy

[seafan]

20. Thanks! Sleep deprivation's catching up.

The mea culpa is contained in a shockingly frank “strategic communications” report, written this autumn by the Defence Science Board for Pentagon supremo Donald Rumsfeld.

[fearnobush]

3. I think muslims hate are bombs a bit more than our policies.

“Muslims do not ‘hate our freedoms’, but rather, they hate our policies.

<http://www.venganza.org/>

<>

[bpilgrim]

4. Marketing, got dang-it, we need better MARKETING!!!

yeah, sure

peace

[rodeodance]

6. why does the article say "written this autumn ... by Rumsfeld"? it is not

autumn.


.....The mea culpa is contained in a shockingly frank “strategic communications” report, written this autumn by the Defence Science Board for Pentagon supremo Donald Rumsfeld.....

[rodeodance]

7. this article is dated: 05 December 2004

05 December 2004

[bpilgrim]

8. may be due this Autumn and this is a leaked draft or it could be from last

autumn as i am sure they would try to suppress this info then though i have read similar conclusions by our own people for sometime now.

remember this isn't written BY rummy, it just says that he ordered the study, like cheney ordering an investigation into the yellow-cake rumor.

gotta keep up appearances, ya know ;->

peace

[Theduckno2]

9. Marketing you say! Paging Karen Hughes, paging Karen Hughes!

Let's see her spin a solution to this. As far as Rummy goes, he'll probably fall back to his old standby: blame Al-Jazeera. :)

[johnaries]

10. This is an old article, but it deserves to be brought up again.

Here's 2 more articles:
http://www.csmonitor.com/2004/1129/dailyUpdate.html

http://www.wsws.org/articles/2004/dec2004/pent-d10.shtml

"Though it was completed by September 23, the report was not made public until late November, that is, after the US presidential elections. Since its release, it has been largely ignored by the US media and the entire political establishment."

And when it says it was "written for" Rummy, it means it was written to be given to Rummy.

Maybe someone should forward this to Cindy Sheehan so she can ask B* about it when he finally talks to her....

Well, maybe we should send it to her, anyway. She can ask the Press why they ignored it!

[Gronk Groks]

11. We are losing the support of our Muslim allies,

<snip>
More than 90% of the populations of some Muslims countries, such as Saudi Arabia, are opposed to US policies.
<snip>
America’s “image problem”, the report authors suggest, is “linked to perceptions of the US as arrogant, hypocritical and self-indulgent”.

It isn't a perception, it's the reality.

We are sooo fucked...

[Nite Owl]

12. If only they had read DU

before the war started they would have known that this would be the result of their policies. Really if we knew why didn't they? They are supposed to be the adults in charge, the wise ones, the experts.

[nadinbrzezinski]

13. Okay this is comng from the department of DUH isn't it?

[HysteryDiagnosis]

14. Kicked and nominated!! There apparrently are some thinking

people in the Pentagon.... for now.

[HysteryDiagnosis]

15. So.... it's probably not a good idea to send some of their own to be

tortured in Egypt and elsewhere....

[enough]

16. kick

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

17. But, "We're making progress." If you consider sinking progress.

But, the politicians, true to form, have yet to face the reality that the glorious war in Iraq is lost, has been lost, was lost the day the first GI crossed the border.

Ditto for the "War on Terror"...er, "Struggle agains Extremism"..er, "Spreading Democracy"..."Completing the Mission", er,.."Staying the Course".

"Bring it on!", he said. And, they have, in spades.