Ready to snap
"Stretched by frequent troop rotations to Iraq and Afghanistan, the [US] Army has become a 'thin green line' that could snap unless relief comes soon, according to a study for the Pentagon. Andrew Krepinevich, a retired army officer who wrote the report under a Pentagon contract, concluded that the army cannot sustain the pace of troop deployments to Iraq long enough to break the back of the insurgency." — Associated Press, January 24.
Lean, mean and ...
"The [US] military went into Iraq with a vision that a small, agile, and lightly armored force could win a quick preemptive war. Although the US easily crushed Saddam Hussein's army, the subsequent occupation has proven far costlier in lives, money and international standing than most expected. As a result, the US military has no appetite for another lengthy war of 'regime change'." — From January 24 Los Angeles Times report headlined "Pentagon Planning Document Leaves Iraq Out of Equation".
Reconstruction I
"An audit of US reconstruction spending in Iraq has uncovered spectacular misuse of tens of millions of dollars in cash... A contract for $662,800 to refurbish the Hilla General Hospital was paid in full by a US official, even though the work was not finished. Instead of replacing a central lift, as demanded in the contract, workers only tinkered with the existing mechanism. Three months later the lift crashed, killing three Iraqis." — London Times, January 26.
Reconstruction II
"In another case, a contractor was paid $108,140 to refurbish completely the Hilla Olympic swimming pool. The contractor simply polished some of the pumps and piping to make it look as if new hardware had been installed. The pool has never reopened." — London Times, January 26.
From Green Left Weekly, February 1, 2006.
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