State Department Predicted Post-War Trouble

According to today’s NYT:

“The period immediately after regime change might offer these criminals the opportunity to engage in acts of killing, plunder and looting,” the report warned, urging American officials to “organize military patrols by coalition forces in all major cities to prevent lawlessness, especially against vital utilities and key government facilities.”

Unfortunately, post-war planning was apparently mostly in the hands of Don “Were there that many vases?” Rumsfeld. The Times story recounts how State’s expert, Tom Warrick, impressed Army staffers in charge of post-war planning so much that they brought him onto the reconstruction team–until, according to State sources, “top Pentagon officials blocked Mr. Warrick’s appointment, and much of the [post-war planning] project’s work was shelved.”

Stuff like this really puts the Angry in Angry Bear.

AB