thedrifter
04-17-03, 07:16 AM
And Now, the Envelope Please ….
By Ed Offley
Now that the U.S. Central Command has formally announced that combat operations are over in Iraq, it’s time to assess the campaign and cite the outstanding, if not other-worldly, performance of key players.
Not the military campaign: We know how that went. It went like a hot bayonet through butter.
After deploying over 250,000 American and British military forces in the Persian Gulf region, the U.S. Central Command on March 19, 2003, simultaneously launched a ground invasion and precision air strikes aimed at isolating and neutralizing Iraqi command authorities. Less visible, special operations forces roamed from the western Iraqi desert to downtown Baghdad on clandestine reconnaissance and disruption operations. Naval forces offshore and aerial combat units throughout the region kept up a “shock and awe” bombing campaign that steadily degraded Iraqi ground forces.
The U.S. 3rd Infantry Division and other U.S. Army units sprinted up the Euphrates River Valley toward Iraq, capturing the major cities of Nasariyah, Najaf and Karbala before arriving at the southern outskirts of the Iraqi capital on Day 15. British forces advanced to and encircled Basra, the second-largest city in Iraq, while elements of the 173rd Airborne Brigade parachuted into northern Iraq with Special Operations Forces personnel. After capturing Saddam International Airport, 3rd Infantry Division maneuver elements drove through the southern part of Baghdad, and several days later fought their way into the downtown center of the city. Meanwhile, Marine units approaching from the northern side of the Euphrates penetrated Baghdad from the south and east.
On Apr. 8, 2003 – the 20th day of the war – the Iraqi regime crumbled and its surviving leaders disappeared from sight.
No, it’s time to look at the news media campaign of predictions, speculation and instant analysis that vainly tried to keep up with the torrent of live and near-live reports from the battlefield. It’s also time to the present awards to those who truly deserve them:
The It All Looks Like Vietnam To Me Award: To ABC NightLine anchor Ted Koppel, for confusing the Euphrates River with the Mekong River.
“The U.S. military has only just begun to engage the first of the enemy's strongest and most capable divisions. There is no reason to believe that ultimately, perhaps even in the next week or two, U.S. forces will not prevail. But success will come at a significant cost. Forget the easy victories of the last twenty years; this war is more like the ones we knew before. The President has determined that U.S. security and national interests are at stake. Such determinations always carry with them a high cost in blood and treasure.
-- Commentary from the 3rd Infantry Division advancing up the Euphrates River valley, March 25, 2003, six days before the armored division crossed to the north bank of the Euphrates and advanced to Baghdad.
The My Analysis Is Better Than Yours Award: (Second Place) To CBS reporter Leslie Stahl for her attempt to out-argue Secretary of State Colin Powell on the progress of the war:
Stahl: “The Powell Doctrine in military terms is that you throw a massive force, if you're going to go to war, make it huge. There are now criticisms, we're beginning to hear, that this force isn't massive enough.”
Powell: “It's nonsense. It's the usual chatter, I mean we have commentators everywhere. Every General who ever worked for me is now on some network commenting on the daily battle and, frankly, battles come and wars come and they have ups and downs, they have a rhythm to it. The Powell Doctrine was you use decisive force, and the plan that General Franks and his commanders have put together is a decisive force that will get the job done. So don't let one day’s ups and downs suggest that the battle isn't going well. The United States armed forces with our coalition partners, the British principally and the Australians, have gone 300 miles deep into Iraq in a period of five days. That is a heck of an achievement.”
Stahl: “Yeah, but our, the rear is exposed.”
Powell: “It's not. Exposed to what? Exposed to small- ”
Stahl: “Exposed to fedayeen, exposed- ”
Powell: “Fine. So? We’ll get them in due course. They are not exposed to a massive Iraqi army that is operating in a coordinated way that can assault our flanks and stop our assault.”
Stahl: “Are you saying you're not worried or concerned about guerilla warfare?”
Powell: “Of course we are, and that, and we’re trained to handle this, but this chatter for the last 24 hours that everything is coming apart because on Sunday we took a few casualties. The casualties for this operation have been low. You don’t want to slow your advance to go into a particular city and spend all your time rooting out people that you will get in due course. They're not threatening the advance.”
Stahl: “But you can't get your supplies, well you can't- ”
Powell: “Who says?”
Stahl: “ - can't get the humanitarian- ”
Powell: “Who says?”
-- CBS “48 Hours,” March 27, 2003, 12 days before the collapse of the Iraqi regime.
The My Analysis Is Better Than Yours Award: (First Place), to Secretary Powell.
-- Same “48 Hours” program.
continued.........
By Ed Offley
Now that the U.S. Central Command has formally announced that combat operations are over in Iraq, it’s time to assess the campaign and cite the outstanding, if not other-worldly, performance of key players.
Not the military campaign: We know how that went. It went like a hot bayonet through butter.
After deploying over 250,000 American and British military forces in the Persian Gulf region, the U.S. Central Command on March 19, 2003, simultaneously launched a ground invasion and precision air strikes aimed at isolating and neutralizing Iraqi command authorities. Less visible, special operations forces roamed from the western Iraqi desert to downtown Baghdad on clandestine reconnaissance and disruption operations. Naval forces offshore and aerial combat units throughout the region kept up a “shock and awe” bombing campaign that steadily degraded Iraqi ground forces.
The U.S. 3rd Infantry Division and other U.S. Army units sprinted up the Euphrates River Valley toward Iraq, capturing the major cities of Nasariyah, Najaf and Karbala before arriving at the southern outskirts of the Iraqi capital on Day 15. British forces advanced to and encircled Basra, the second-largest city in Iraq, while elements of the 173rd Airborne Brigade parachuted into northern Iraq with Special Operations Forces personnel. After capturing Saddam International Airport, 3rd Infantry Division maneuver elements drove through the southern part of Baghdad, and several days later fought their way into the downtown center of the city. Meanwhile, Marine units approaching from the northern side of the Euphrates penetrated Baghdad from the south and east.
On Apr. 8, 2003 – the 20th day of the war – the Iraqi regime crumbled and its surviving leaders disappeared from sight.
No, it’s time to look at the news media campaign of predictions, speculation and instant analysis that vainly tried to keep up with the torrent of live and near-live reports from the battlefield. It’s also time to the present awards to those who truly deserve them:
The It All Looks Like Vietnam To Me Award: To ABC NightLine anchor Ted Koppel, for confusing the Euphrates River with the Mekong River.
“The U.S. military has only just begun to engage the first of the enemy's strongest and most capable divisions. There is no reason to believe that ultimately, perhaps even in the next week or two, U.S. forces will not prevail. But success will come at a significant cost. Forget the easy victories of the last twenty years; this war is more like the ones we knew before. The President has determined that U.S. security and national interests are at stake. Such determinations always carry with them a high cost in blood and treasure.
-- Commentary from the 3rd Infantry Division advancing up the Euphrates River valley, March 25, 2003, six days before the armored division crossed to the north bank of the Euphrates and advanced to Baghdad.
The My Analysis Is Better Than Yours Award: (Second Place) To CBS reporter Leslie Stahl for her attempt to out-argue Secretary of State Colin Powell on the progress of the war:
Stahl: “The Powell Doctrine in military terms is that you throw a massive force, if you're going to go to war, make it huge. There are now criticisms, we're beginning to hear, that this force isn't massive enough.”
Powell: “It's nonsense. It's the usual chatter, I mean we have commentators everywhere. Every General who ever worked for me is now on some network commenting on the daily battle and, frankly, battles come and wars come and they have ups and downs, they have a rhythm to it. The Powell Doctrine was you use decisive force, and the plan that General Franks and his commanders have put together is a decisive force that will get the job done. So don't let one day’s ups and downs suggest that the battle isn't going well. The United States armed forces with our coalition partners, the British principally and the Australians, have gone 300 miles deep into Iraq in a period of five days. That is a heck of an achievement.”
Stahl: “Yeah, but our, the rear is exposed.”
Powell: “It's not. Exposed to what? Exposed to small- ”
Stahl: “Exposed to fedayeen, exposed- ”
Powell: “Fine. So? We’ll get them in due course. They are not exposed to a massive Iraqi army that is operating in a coordinated way that can assault our flanks and stop our assault.”
Stahl: “Are you saying you're not worried or concerned about guerilla warfare?”
Powell: “Of course we are, and that, and we’re trained to handle this, but this chatter for the last 24 hours that everything is coming apart because on Sunday we took a few casualties. The casualties for this operation have been low. You don’t want to slow your advance to go into a particular city and spend all your time rooting out people that you will get in due course. They're not threatening the advance.”
Stahl: “But you can't get your supplies, well you can't- ”
Powell: “Who says?”
Stahl: “ - can't get the humanitarian- ”
Powell: “Who says?”
-- CBS “48 Hours,” March 27, 2003, 12 days before the collapse of the Iraqi regime.
The My Analysis Is Better Than Yours Award: (First Place), to Secretary Powell.
-- Same “48 Hours” program.
continued.........