Hello:

There were two articles today, in the NY Times. I wonder it they're related. Hmmmmm.

In the disaster known as the occupation of Iraq, there were rosy assumptions, wrong conclusions, and bad decisions. The following is from a report the Army did on itself:

"....A big problem, the study says, was the lack of detailed plans before the war for the postwar phase, a deficiency that reflected the general optimism in the White House and in the Pentagon, led by then-Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld, about Iraq's future, and an assumption that civilian agencies would assume much of the burden...."

AND

A diploma mill was shut down which had SOLD 1,000's of phony diplomas and degrees over the years for CASH:

"...A 2004 report by the Government Accountability Office, which surveyed only 2 percent of federal employees, found 463 who had bought degrees from three diploma mills, but warned that the true number was probably much higher. More than HALF worked for the Defense Department...."

Hmmmm...

excon

AND the liberals tying the militaries hands when they tried to accomplish anything.
I believe that was a big problem not to be over looked.

Hello N0:

During that time, the Republicans were in charge of the Senate. The Republicans were in charge of the House. The president and dufus in chief was a Republican, and HE ran the war.

The Republicans/neocons WERE in charge of every aspect of this monstrosity. The libs tied NOBODY'S hands. In fact, the libs aren't tying anybody's hands NOW, and I wish they would.

Too much Sean Hannity for you. No TV for 3 days.

excon

Yeah and they listened too much to the liberal organizations.
I am not saying so much the Democrat party but the liberal organizations like move on
And George Sorros, Pelosi and Boxer

Yeah and they listened too much to the liberal organizations. I am not saying so much the Democrat party but the liberal organizations like move on and George Sorros, Pelosi and BoxerHello again, N0:

What? The dufus in chief LISTENED to Sorros, Pelosi and the likes??

Cough...

excon

I think he listens to others more than people realize because he is sneaky and I don't trust anything he says.
Like with the borders he said he wanted to close the borders to appease others but he listened to others because it was convenient to his agenda. So basically yeah he is a snake.

Hard to believe that any military leader could ever make a mistake during a war isn't it ?

The Slimes has never had a good word to say about Iraq even now when things have greatly improved . You know I was one of those who pointed to management mistakes especially during Viceroy Bremer's and General Ricardo Sanchez reign . But even then there were successes that to date have not been acknowleged .

But yes;during that time Powell's State Dept and Rumsfeld's DOD did differ and squabble over post-invasion policy and unfortunately the State Dept came out on top. Yes the President should've been more forceful in this area . Both the military and State had too much say on policy and he had to smack down both... first by forcing Bremer's hand on Iraqi elections and later by ignoring or replacing commanders who had too much of a CAN'T DO mentality .It was when the President went against his top commanders advice and that of the Iraq Surrender Group that success began to multiply .

Doug Feith covers much of this in his new book 'War and Decision' .But the Slimes won't even review his book let alone interview him to respond to some of their arm-chair Monday morning generals .

Got to go... more tomorrow.

I am still wondering why they are saying they haven't been able to drill for oil in our own land because of the liberals. Yeah it is an excuse but Clinton was no better. Makes me really think the Presidents are the puppet on the string. Bush could have and should have accomplished things that for some reason he didn't. I have not been happy with any President for years.

Re Diploma mills

I'm surprised that most of them weren't hired by ICE .


“It is perhaps obvious to state that terrorists cannot plan and carry out attacks in the United States if they are unable to enter the country. Yet prior to September 11, while there were efforts to enhance border security, no agency of the U.S. government thought of border security as a tool in the counterterrorism arsenal. Indeed, even after 19 hijackers demonstrated the relative ease of obtaining a U.S. visa and gaining admission into the United States, border security still is not considered a cornerstone of national security policy. We believe, for reasons we discuss in the following pages, that it must be made one.”
From the 9-11 Commission Report .

Here is a little flashback circa 1946 from Life correspondent John Dos Passos who was covering post-war Europe.


The troops returning home are worried. “We've lost the peace,” men tell you. “We can't make it stick.”

A tour of the beaten-up cities of Europe six months after victory is a mighty sobering experience for anyone.

Never has American prestige in Europe been lower.

We have swept away Hitlerism, but a great many Europeans feel that the cure has been worse than the disease.

the court documents describe an operation that grew from a trickle to a flood from 1999 to 2005

It would seem that first, the operators of these particular diploma mills began under the Clinton administration. Secondly, the report (http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d04771t.pdf) the Times cites does confirm over half in the investigation worked for defense, but it only detailed concerns of 5 senior level employees.


Employee #1, who was hired at NNSA in 2002, paid $5,000 for a masters degree in 1996 from LaSalle University, an unaccredited school that has been found to have made false claims of accreditation.


Employee #2, hired at NNSA in 2000, received a bachelor’s degree in 1992 from Chadwick University, an unaccredited school.


Employee #3, hired at NNSA in 2000, received a PhD in engineering administration in 1985 from Columbia Pacific University, an unaccredited school.


Employee #4 is a Senior Executive Service official at DOT. Employee #4 received a Bachelor of Science degree within 6 to 8 months from Kent College, an unaccredited school. Kent waived some credits while Employee #4 completed three research papers and paid $3,500 for the degree. In 1992, Employee #4 listed the degree from Kent College on his application for a master’s degree program at an accredited school


Employee #5 was an employee in the Senior Executive Service at DHS at the time of our interview but has since resigned. This employee received a series of degrees based on negligible work from unaccredited Hamilton University while working at the Department of Labor (DOL) in various senior capacities. Between March and June 2000, this individual received a bachelor’s and a master’s degree based on prior training and other life and work experience. Subsequently, in March 2001, Employee #5 received a PhD in computer information systems from Hamilton. This individual left DOL and began working at DHS in a Senior Executive Service position in April 2003.

I see no reason to connect this report to Bush administration incompetence over Iraq. Seems the feds have been hiring bogus employees for a long, long time. Is that any surprise?