Missing the Rumsfeld Point

Jack Kelly, one of my favorite writers, has a heads-up article for all of the Monday morning quarterbacks on the Iraqi war out there. I love how he takes Bill Kristol to task as well! A little over due if you ask me.

Rumsfeld was "passing the buck" when he indicated it was the Army's responsibility to put Spc. Thomas Wilson in an armored truck, said The Weekly Standard's William Kristol in a snarky Washington Post op-ed, and "arrogant" when he told Wilson that "you have to go to war with the Army you have, not the one you'd like to have."

Does Kristol think there are no generals in the Army competent enough to whom to delegate responsibility for putting armor on Army vehicles? Is Rumsfeld derelict because he himself isn't welding rivets at the Hess-O'Gara plant outside Cincinnati?

The real burr under Kristol's saddle is that Rumsfeld and Gen. Tommy Franks attacked Iraq with what he thinks were too few troops. This complaint is shared by many who have more military experience than Kristol, which is zero. Sen. John McCain declared he has "no confidence" in Rumsfeld.

But the complaint is mostly bovine excrement. U.S. and British troops swiftly defeated the Iraqi forces, with very few casualties. This would have been true even if some of the Republican Guard formations which mysteriously melted away had stood and fought.

There is much, much more. Kelly takes on almost every post-invasion criticism. If you have not yet discovered him, now would be an excellent time. And also, if you're not afraid of having all of your left of center Bush criticisms thrown out the window!

(Link via RCP)