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JimFlat6 said:
RC, Before the invasion of Iraq, There were no public government condemnations from Germany or France for Iraqs very public financial involvement with Arab suicide bombers blowing up civilians in Israel.

So maybe its hard to believe that those governments, and their leaders, and key top officials who had a personal history of public animus towards the US before 911, and their own expressed desire to set up a third political pole, would ever have agreed to materially support the US in any Iraqi military action.

It was pretty much the US and English aircraft flying over Iraq before the war to enforce the no fly zones,and France, Russia and Germany trying to get us to remove that and the embargo while Hussein was still paying to kill Israelis.

And Hussein did a good job of bad PR about WMD inspections in Iraq. Maybe to impress his neighbors, maybe to thumb his nose at the US, maybe for being pissed off about his failed assasination attempt on Bush Sr. Whatever. He hardly set a positive tone and stupidly did all he could do to bait the US in.

So with the Taliban quickly ousted in Kabul, and Iran and Iraqs open hostility to the US, guess who was going to get removed next in the exigency of the post 911 war on terror? Puerto Rico? Easier to quickly remove the Iraqi government than the Iranian one.

Naivete, errors and inadequecies in US occupation planning? Yes. We basically dont do that well. The US Army isnt the smartest at that. But I didnt see any offers of German or French Army Divisions for military occupation duty for Iraq either. For all of their chest beating indignant outrage, where was their large offer to show the US and the UK just how to do that right?



May I suggest reading the Iraq Survey Group Report better known as the Duelfer Report.I am sure you will find it very interesting