Judith Miller, your life is calling
Sep. 20th, 2003 01:25 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
Critics say the Bush administration had no plan for postwar Iraq. In fact, before the war, hundreds of Iraqis were involved in discussions with Washington about securing and stabilizing their country after military action. Today's difficulties are not the result of a lack of foresight, but rather of poor judgment by civilians at the Pentagon who counted too much on the advice of one exile - Ahmad Chalabi of the Iraqi National Congress - and ignored the views of other, more reliable Iraqi leaders.
Last year the State Department, joined by 17 other federal agencies, put together the Future of Iraq Project, which was supposed to involve Iraqis from the country's many ethnic and religious factions, including representatives from the exile community. The project had working groups on topics ranging from agriculture to the economy to new government structure. I was adviser to the democratic principles working group, which the Iraqis called the "mother of all working groups." Anticipating many of the problems playing out in Iraq today, participants worked on plans for maintaining security, restoring services and making the transition to democracy.
On security, the participants envisioned a key role for reformed elements of the Iraqi Army. They insisted on the dissolution of agencies involved in atrocities - like military intelligence and the secret police (the Mukhabarat) - and proposed setting up a body to investigate war crimes, prepare a "most wanted" list, and prosecute war criminals. They envisioned a military council vetting and then taking steps to professionalize the armed forces.
Representatives of the Iraqi National Congress, however, claimed to control a vast underground network that would rise in support of coalition forces to assist security and law enforcement. They insisted that the entire Iraqi Army be immediately disbanded. The Pentagon agreed, in the end leading many Iraqi soldiers who might otherwise have been willing to work with the coalition to take up arms against it. Mr. Chalabi's promised network didn't materialize, and the resulting power vacuum contributed to looting, sabotage and attacks against American forces...
Ms. Miller is, famously, the Times' expert on the phantom iraqi WMDs, based on her famously close source relationship with Chalabi, whose stenographer she has been since the runup to the war started.
Ms. Miller's future at the Times appears not to be on the editorial side.
A shortlist of Miller screwups
Miller goes to the wall for Chalabi
Bonus note: until things started to go south in Iraq, Ms. Miller was one of the house experts who was offered as a speaker by Daniel Pipes' think tank. (Mr. Pipes is Our Fearless Leader's idea of a middle east peace expert.) She has since been removed from the list of house experts on their website and the google cache for the list of house experts on their website. She is, however, still on offer to their interns.
Luckily for their credibility, they still have that nice Mr. Murawiec.
Miller logrolls Pipes
Pipes logrolls Miller
Last year the State Department, joined by 17 other federal agencies, put together the Future of Iraq Project, which was supposed to involve Iraqis from the country's many ethnic and religious factions, including representatives from the exile community. The project had working groups on topics ranging from agriculture to the economy to new government structure. I was adviser to the democratic principles working group, which the Iraqis called the "mother of all working groups." Anticipating many of the problems playing out in Iraq today, participants worked on plans for maintaining security, restoring services and making the transition to democracy.
On security, the participants envisioned a key role for reformed elements of the Iraqi Army. They insisted on the dissolution of agencies involved in atrocities - like military intelligence and the secret police (the Mukhabarat) - and proposed setting up a body to investigate war crimes, prepare a "most wanted" list, and prosecute war criminals. They envisioned a military council vetting and then taking steps to professionalize the armed forces.
Representatives of the Iraqi National Congress, however, claimed to control a vast underground network that would rise in support of coalition forces to assist security and law enforcement. They insisted that the entire Iraqi Army be immediately disbanded. The Pentagon agreed, in the end leading many Iraqi soldiers who might otherwise have been willing to work with the coalition to take up arms against it. Mr. Chalabi's promised network didn't materialize, and the resulting power vacuum contributed to looting, sabotage and attacks against American forces...
Ms. Miller is, famously, the Times' expert on the phantom iraqi WMDs, based on her famously close source relationship with Chalabi, whose stenographer she has been since the runup to the war started.
Ms. Miller's future at the Times appears not to be on the editorial side.
A shortlist of Miller screwups
Miller goes to the wall for Chalabi
Bonus note: until things started to go south in Iraq, Ms. Miller was one of the house experts who was offered as a speaker by Daniel Pipes' think tank. (Mr. Pipes is Our Fearless Leader's idea of a middle east peace expert.) She has since been removed from the list of house experts on their website and the google cache for the list of house experts on their website. She is, however, still on offer to their interns.
Luckily for their credibility, they still have that nice Mr. Murawiec.
Miller logrolls Pipes
Pipes logrolls Miller