Rice adviser: ‘The biggest stupid idea was to invade Iraq in the first place.’
Rice adviser: ‘The biggest stupid idea was to invade Iraq in the first place.’
Former Australian Army officer David Kilcullen, who helped Gen. David Petraeus “design his 2007 counterinsurgency strategy in Iraq,” is currently an adviser to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. In a recent interview with Spencer Ackerman, Kilcullen, the main author of an upcoming handbook on counterinsurgency for senior policy-makers, said he tells them they should “think very, very carefully before intervening” in other countries. As an example, Kilcullen called the invasion of Iraq “f*cking stupid“:
More bluntly, Kilcullen, who helped Petraeus design his 2007 counterinsurgency strategy in Iraq, called the decision to invade Iraq “stupid” — in fact, he said “f*cking stupid” — and suggested that if policy-makers apply the manual’s lessons, similar wars can be avoided in the future.
“The biggest stupid idea,” Kilcullen said, “was to invade Iraq in the first place.”
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It should read like this:
“The biggest stupid idea,” Kilcullen said, “was to elect herr dubyah"
July 28th, 2008 at 1:17 pmNo shiite.
¶ AIO
July 28th, 2008 at 1:17 pmThe biggest stupid idea was to allow someone to speak who uses phrases like "the biggest stupid idea."
Sorry but people using adjectives incorrectly (i.e. using them as adverbs) is a personal pet peeve.
July 28th, 2008 at 1:18 pmI sincerely hopes this gentleman has his resume current as he's gonna be out of a job for the Major sin of actually speaking the truth and, even Worse, telling the world that this Administration's done something Wrong! He should know that actually facing reality is not sanctioned in this administration! However, my hat's off to him for facing reality and telling the plain, unvarnished truth.
July 28th, 2008 at 1:19 pmImpeach Pelosi, Cheney and Bush and Save the Constitution!
Buh-buh-but-t-t-t THE SURGE IS WORKING !
July 28th, 2008 at 1:19 pmI think George H.W. Bush (#41) would agree, but add that running a close second was his decision not to pick up some condoms on the way home some 62 3/4 years ago.
July 28th, 2008 at 1:20 pmok, TP, your obscenity filters are getting a tad ridiculous. I just tried to post something 2 seconds ago. It contained the gerundive adjectival form of the F word. I know, of course, that I cannot use that word in your comments section. So I augmented it by replacing a letter so it could get through. I augmented it by using a * in place of the U just as you did in the story above.
You didn't allow it through.
So, it's ok if that version of the cleaned up F-word appears in the thread's topic/story, but not in the comments?
WTF?
July 28th, 2008 at 1:22 pmYeah, the USA slipped a bit on that one.
You think we could have found a better use for that TRILLION DOLLARS?
July 28th, 2008 at 1:22 pmBush took that 128 Billion dollar budget surplus and turned it into a deficit approaching half a trillion dollars.
And then there's that death, destruction dismemberment and displacement we caused.
hindsight is 20-20... unless you have your head firmly up your own a**, then you can believe anything...
July 28th, 2008 at 1:23 pmraynman Says:
hindsight is 20-20… unless you have your head firmly up your own a**, then you can believe anything…
Very impressive, a man who revels in stupidity.
July 28th, 2008 at 1:26 pmflavorino Says:
But it wasn't all a waste; look at the obscene profits Big Oil, Halliburton, Blackwater and the trust funds of Darth, Dubya, Rummy, Rice and the others have made.
See, a silver lining in every dark cloud!
July 28th, 2008 at 1:26 pmraynman Says:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
hindsight is 20-20… unless you have your head firmly up your own a**, then you can believe anything…
hindsight is 20-20... unless you have your head firmly up your own a**. Then all you can see is bullsh1t.
My own version raynman, hope you enjoy it.
July 28th, 2008 at 1:26 pm#4 - Given the nature of those he works for, I hope he has his affairs in order.
July 28th, 2008 at 1:27 pm“The biggest stupid idea,” was to invade the wrong stinkin' country:
July 28th, 2008 at 1:27 pmhttp://www.asecondlookatthesaudis.com
Come on, Osama bin Laden has been in Iraq all along and the Bush Administration is always right! And so is McCain!
July 28th, 2008 at 1:28 pmOh, would that it were so... it appears that all of the Bush apologists and wingnut trolls have like 20/600 hindsight.
July 28th, 2008 at 1:29 pmThe biggest (f-king) stupid idea,” Kilcullen said, “was to invade Iraq in the first place.”
The biggest understatement of the year.
And it only took 5 years for someone associated with the executive branch to say it.
Kilcullen should avoid getting into strange unmarked aircraft, otherwise he could get a personal, private tour of one of the black ops detention sites.
July 28th, 2008 at 1:29 pmok, TP, your obscenity filters are getting a tad ridiculous. I just tried to post something 2 seconds ago.
Comment by liberal traitor
Maybe it's not the word; could be you that TP doesn't like.
¶ AIO
July 28th, 2008 at 1:30 pmKilcullen- bingo!
July 28th, 2008 at 1:33 pmAn australian soldier is our SOS advisor? What is up with that? I thought Condi was gay - not that there is anything wrong with that, but why bring on an australian for advice on American interests?
July 28th, 2008 at 1:35 pm1. George Bush wanted to invade Iraq 'cuz he wanted to be a big macho man and better than his Daddy. (It had NOTHING to do with 911)
2. His flunkies came up with the excues to do so. (like 911, WMD, etc)
The whole bunch should be in jail if this were a just world.
July 28th, 2008 at 1:35 pmdrago Says:
Come on, Osama bin Laden has been in Iraq all along and the Bush Administration is always right! And so is McCain!
He must be hiding with those WMDs, that Bushco knew where they were, but could never find.
July 28th, 2008 at 1:35 pmYo, dude - way to state the blatantly OBVIOUS.
*eyeroll*
July 28th, 2008 at 1:43 pmIt was, indeed, f---ing stupid. No argument here.
July 28th, 2008 at 1:44 pm“The biggest stupid idea,” Kilcullen said, “was to invade Iraq in the first place.”
I don't like saying "I told you so" but... I told you so.
Other stupid ideas have been: Illegal wiretaps, torture of prisoners, try to suppress political dissent, faith-based initiatives, abstinence-only sex education, violation of international laws...
In fact, it could be argued that, if this administration excelled at anything, it was stupid ideas.
July 28th, 2008 at 1:46 pmThe Wonk Room’s Matt Duss highlights McCain’s argument that the original decision to invade Iraq is a matter for historians, while the surge is a matter for voters.
Both questions are a matter for voters. The decision to invade Iraq didn't come out of a vacuum. It was the result of an extremely flawed foreign policy that was the result of an extremely flawed world outlook. Voters can and should examine these issues so that we don't repeat the same mistakes.
Of course if voters actually do this, McCain will go down in flames.
http://progressiveworldreview.com
July 28th, 2008 at 1:50 pmThe surge was a battle plan for peace keeping in an area of Iraq. It only contributes to the idea that the war was stupid and poorly planned. Adding more troops so that another 1000 could die was not a success or a victory. Somebody should tell Mr. McGoo that he is senile.
July 28th, 2008 at 1:52 pmI think that Saddam was also a bit insane. Bush started to put the forces in place for the Iraq invasion in November 2001. Saddam and family could have simply sought asylum in China and W would have been left with an empty bag. But, then, W may have been stupid enough to launch an attack against China in that case.
July 28th, 2008 at 1:53 pmIn sad news, David Kilcullen, despondent over recent misguided remarks, put a bullet in his brain.
An investigator was heard to comment, "He must have been very determined".
No gun was recovered from the scene.
July 28th, 2008 at 1:58 pmKilcullen will be asked to resign in 3...2...1
July 28th, 2008 at 1:58 pmThe distilled hindsight of multiple Iraq-invasion apologists, when responding to the question of "Wasn't it a bad idea to invade Iraq?" goes like this:
This sort of idiocy should really be followed up by, "Even if that is true, why did it take 4100 (and counting) American troops dying, 30,000 American soldiers crippled for life, hundreds of thousands of Iraqi civilians dying, millions of Iraqi citizens displaced, and trillions of dollars to accomplish that?"
I don't know how anyone can justify "getting" Saddam Hussein at that cost. As if that were the reason anyway for the invasion...
July 28th, 2008 at 2:04 pmRice adviser: ‘The biggest stupid idea was to invade Iraq in the first place.’»
July 28th, 2008 at 2:05 pmBig oil isn't thinking so.
A little late for the rats to be leaving the ship....a few thousand of us anti-war citizens begged and screamed for someone to stop the bush/cheney war machine. Wrote to McCain who I thought was an honorable man, (wrong !) Now 4,434 dead and many wounded later, gee maybe a mistake.
July 28th, 2008 at 2:06 pmIn 'heaven', Saddam Hussein is laughing his head off.
July 28th, 2008 at 2:07 pmAnd those of you still worshiping mccain, check who just ponied up big money for his campaign after flip flopping on drilling offshore.
July 28th, 2008 at 2:07 pmWho?
July 28th, 2008 at 2:15 pmpete Says:
In sad news, David Kilcullen, despondent over recent misguided remarks, put a bullet in his brain.
An investigator was heard to comment, “He must have been very determined”.
No gun was recovered from the scene.
Let me guess, his arms were tied behind his back, too.
July 28th, 2008 at 2:18 pmOil companies that previously were very stingy with their contributions.. Crooks and Liars today's comments.
July 28th, 2008 at 2:28 pmMcCain is for rent the highest bidder.....however with his memory problems he won't remember he owes you a favor.
It was only "stupid" within a normal, rational, developed sense.
It was decidedly NOT "stupid" if you were aiming to use the "war"--and its consequences--to extort hundreds of billions of dollars from the People into private, war-time industries.
Then it made--and makes--perfect sense.
Obama doesn't want to end the war, he just wants to move it closer to the trans-caspian.
July 28th, 2008 at 2:34 pmSo both Cheney & Patreaus went to Australia to try & shore up John Howard's chances for re-election?
Interesting.
July 28th, 2008 at 2:41 pmOf course, it backfired, just like Cheney's dirty little war...
#39 - just where did you get that idea that Obama wants to move the war ? I'd like to research that myself.
July 28th, 2008 at 2:42 pmAs well as Obama convenes successful people to help shape his policy instead of dear old buddies. So, I will take intelligence over the buddy system all day long.
I have to say that I find it rather telling that when the first anniversary of Saddam Hussein's death rolled around on 12/30/07, that there wasn't one mention of it anywhere in the papers, on the teevee, nor in any of the blogs that I visit on a daily basis. If it was such a great idea to get rid of Saddam Hussein and that the world is a much better place without him in it, then why was there no mention of this anywhere?
I can't forget that day 'cause it happens to be my birthday.
July 28th, 2008 at 3:38 pm#
tokin librul Says:
Obama doesn’t want to end the war, he just wants to move it closer to the trans-caspian.
July 28th, 2008 at 2:34 pm Add Karma Recommend (1) | Report Abuse
Let us be very clear:
Obama's 2002 Speech Against the War, Delivered by Supporters
July 28th, 2008 at 4:01 pmWrong!! The first mistake was electing George W.Bush. The rest just followed naturally.
I continue to pat myself on the back and remind my friends, the Republican friends I have left, that I did not vote for this clown. This strutting, smirking,lying idiot.
Obama wants to move the war to Afganistan. Were we now have all the problems. And where we should have been fighting the so called war on terror. He said that over a year ago. Now the place is falling apart. We won it there, neglected it and now we have to do it all over again.
I am going to do a write in on election day. For Kucinich. I was going to vote for him and he dropped out. Now I am dropping him in. Since I am a registered Independent I intend to allow myself the fun of doing it.
After all the Repulican screw ups, from Nixon, Reagan, and Bush, nothing but a frontal lobotomy could induce me to ever vote for a Republican.
July 28th, 2008 at 7:34 pmThe biggest stupid idea was not castrating Prescott Bush's father at age 7.
July 28th, 2008 at 8:11 pm