The Hard Way

Some reality-based soldiers in Iraq have spoken to the LA Times about the explosives at Al Qaqaa:

WASHINGTON — In the weeks after the fall of Baghdad, Iraqi looters loaded powerful explosives into pickup trucks and drove the material away from the Al Qaqaa ammunition site, according to a group of U.S. Army reservists and National Guardsmen who said they witnessed the looting.

The soldiers said about a dozen U.S. troops guarding the sprawling facility could not prevent the theft because they were outnumbered by looters. Soldiers with one unit — the 317th Support Center based in Wiesbaden, Germany — said they sent a message to commanders in Baghdad requesting help to secure the site but received no reply.

If someone's supporting the troops, it's not the military. Contrast this tale with Bush's remark about the military in Iraq:

"If they need more, I will make sure they get it."

Sorry, America. We tried to make it easy on you. Now you'll have to learn the hard way.