Monday, May 23, 2005
It's a big free-fire zone over there.
Steve Gilliard blogs about the military's lack of fire discipline in Iraq.
I don't think the US is murdering reporters as part of a campaign in Iraq. If that were the case, Robert Fisk would have long joined the angels.Not that I would know, but it rings true, and no one wants to talk about it. This stuff will prevent us from winning over there -- why doesn't our military get this?
What I think no one wants to come to grips with is that the US has a shoot first, ask no questions later. They don't just shoot reporters, they shoot everyone this way, store owners, drivers, kids who look at them funny, families.
There is a great deal of individual discretion, but the crime comes in when commanders want to cover their asses and never investigate incidents which need honest investigation. In a zero-defect military, it can kill careers to admit American soldiers are shooting at anything they can. So they do these perfunctory investigations, maybe charge a few EM's and NCO's, and move on. Because no one is going to risk their career by admitting error.
The fact is that Americans kill with impunity in Iraq. The US doesn't investigate anything where the US will be found at fault. And the commanders clearly have an anti-press message they give to the troops. But what people do not want to believe, even on the left, is that the US military is incredibly sloppy. Giuliana Sgrena wasn't shot in a conspiracy, but by a lone National Guard patrol. Which happens every day. When the US kills the wrong people, they hand out some money and that's the end of it.
Comments:
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And yet, we're fairly wildly popular with the Iraqis. If we were shooting down the wimmin and chilluns, I doubt this would be the case.
# posted by 
: 8:05 PM
: 8:05 PM
P.S. "I wouldn't know, but it rings true"?
So much for your anonymity, Isikoff.
So much for your anonymity, Isikoff.
# posted by : 8:07 PM
: 8:07 PM 
I agree it rings true and it suggests the army's greatest concern is soldier morale, which stands to reason with soldiers blogging and ranks diminishing and recruitment tanking and with the hold on Iraq seemingly so tenuous and thinly spread. They might not even care much what people at home think if only they would be able to keep soldiers believing only what they told them.
The commitment to force protection is the tactical equivalent of the Powell Doctrine. It's certainly a laudable thing that we can do such a good job of protecting and saving soldiers' lives, relative to prior wars.
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