Natl Security Screw-Up - Detailed Plans For US/Iraq Embassy Show Up Online

Baghdad embassy plans turn up online By MATTHEW LEE, Associated Press Writer
Thu May 31, 7:54 PM ET

WASHINGTON - Detailed plans for the new U.S. Embassy under construction in Baghdad appeared online Thursday in a breach of the tight security surrounding the sensitive project.

Computer-generated projections of the soon-to-be completed, heavily fortified compound were posted on the Web site of the Kansas City, Mo.-based architectural firm that was contracted to design the massive facility in the Iraqi capital.

The images were removed by Berger Devine Yaeger Inc. shortly after the company was contacted by the State Department.

........

The 10 images included a scheme of the overall layout of the compound, plus depictions of individual buildings including the embassy itself, office annexes, the Marine Corps security post, swimming pool, recreation center and the ambassador's and deputy ambassador's residences.

more at:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070531/ap_on_go_ot/baghdad_embassy_plans



http://thinkprogress.org/2007/05/31/state-embassy-photos/

No occupying force has ever succeeded in the face of a local insurgency. From Alexander to Napoleon, from Gedemin to Hitler, from Sun Tsu to the {quaint} Powell doctrine, several consistent theories emerge. First, even with an overwhelming force, maintaining an occupying force in a hostile area cannot be sustained, not without co-opting the locals and relying heavily on local forces and leaders. Gedeminas was famous for taking over all the land from the Baltic to the Black sea, winning over many kingdoms. In each case, he used the local leaders, he permitted the local to maintain their own government structure and he permitted them to maintain their local faith. Napoleon did the same thing. His command structure was such that once he took over a region, he maintained control over it thru the use of locals.
Hitler relied on local leaders in Austria, Czechoslovakia, Poland, Vichy France who were all locals, supported by German military, but still local in nature.

With the advent of the Rummie/Rice/Bremer doctrine, we flipped that on its head, and the hideous results were predicted and have come to pass. But that is not how this post proves that we will lose.

The hubris exhibited by the US during Bremer's reign of stupidity has actually been exceeded by the design and construction of the Emerald City (the green zone) and compounded by the construction of the Taj Mahal Embassy of the Untied States. Where we really have screwed the pooch is represented by one five letter word.

W A T E R .

There is no working sewer system in Baghdad. There is no clean water supply through out most of Baghdad AND Iraq. And here we are building swimming pools in the middle of a hot, dry, arid, sand desert.

Your average Iraqi has to fight for drops to drink. And we swim in it. Is there anyone who can fail to see the disastrous cluster-fuck that develops as a result?