On Monday, March 31, 2003, at 11:21 AM, Wirt Atmar wrote:

> Richard Perle, recently resigned chairman of the Defense Policy Board, 
> said
> in a PBS interview July 11, 2002:
>
> “Saddam is much weaker than we think he is. He’s weaker militarily. We 
> know
> he’s got about a third of what he had in 1991. But it’s a house of 
> cards. He
> rules by fear because he knows there is no underlying support. Support 
> for
> Saddam, including within his military organization, will collapse at 
> the
> first whiff of gunpowder. ”
>
> ======================================
>
> Ken Adelman, former U.N. ambassador, wrote in an Op-Ed for the 
> Washington
> Post, Feb. 13, 2002:
>
> “I believe demolishing Hussein’s military power and liberating Iraq 
> would be
> a cakewalk. Let me give simple, responsible reasons: (1) It was a 
> cakewalk
> last time; (2) they’ve become much weaker; (3) we’ve become much 
> stronger;
> and (4) now we’re playing for keeps.
>
> =======================================
>
> Vice President Dick Cheney, on “Meet the Press” March 16, said:
>
> “The read we get on the people of Iraq is there is no question but 
> that they
> want to get rid of Saddam Hussein and they will welcome as liberators 
> the
> United States when we come to do that. My guess is even significant 
> elements
> of the Republican Guard are likely as well to want to avoid conflict 
> with the
> U.S. forces and are likely to step aside.”
>
> ======================================
>
> General Richard B. Myers, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said
> yesterday (March 30, 2003) on "Meet the Press", that criticism of the 
> war
> plan was not fair:
>
> "Nobody ever promised a short war. This is going to be a tough war, a 
> tough
> slog yet, and no responsible official I know has ever said anything
> different."
>
> =======================================

I've recently seen some interviews of high-ranking British & American 
officials claiming that the blame for our disappointment with the lack 
of speed of this war was caused by the media predicting a "walk in the 
park" or words to that effect.

FW

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