The Rumsfeld memo

[wendybeth]

Rummy's note is filled with allusions to the bribery scenario; indeed, it seems his primary solution. It's shocking how little vision he seems to have, although he does make reference to cultural sensitivity or awareness. Kind of shutting the ol' barn door, etc, but better late than never. I'm not going to pretend to have any answers myself, but his memo is just dismayingly elementary and hardly offers up any real and viable ideas.

[Alex]

Yeah, that's why it implies to me he was just trying to say what would be coming in the Baker report before it became official. So far, all the leaked stuff from that seems to be similarly high level empty platitudes.

Both that and this memo ultimately have the detail of "Our plan to make things better is to cause better things to be."

Of course, quite a few things in that list are things that seem amazingly obvious if they aren't already being (embedding Iraqis in American units, etc.).