Culture of arrogance

We've all heard and read about the various killings of civilian noncombatants by US forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. What doesn't get talked about much is the fact that some of these same frontline forces are on their 3rd tour of duty in three years. Or that military experts like General Shalikashvili warned upfront that a much more significant force would be needed to win the peace, particularly in Iraq. A multitude of experts gave what have turned out to be prophetic warnings vis-a-vis Iraq before Bush ordered the invasion. That they were nearly uniformly dismissed, criticized and even slandered tells us what we need to know - this administration operates under a culture of arrogance.

Read thru this timeline of events leading up to the invasion of Iraq. Note in particular the entry for August 21, 2002:

"Following a trip to several Middle Eastern countries, which included meetings with several diplomats and foreign dignitaries, US Representative John Larson warns that “the innocent slaughter of Muslims will create, in essence, what Osama bin Laden was unable to do, a united Islamic jihad against us.” [New Britain Herald, 8/22/2002]"

Meanwhile the Taliban have clearly recovered to a large extent and are once again threatening the puppet government in Kabul.