Tom Ricks - The Gamble: American Military in Iraq 2006-2008

Thomas E. Ricks is The Washington Post’s special military correspondent and a senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security. He discusses his book, The Gamble, his second installment on the Iraq War story. [5/2009] [Show ID: 16445]
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[@daviddevault8700]

I have heard that only 1% of Americans fought after 911. I kept running into other veterans, in places not affiliated with the military. It seemed many people in my age group served. I heard a hire veterans add on the radio. This add stated that only 27% of Americans were eligible for the military. We don't want to recruit the dumbest 27%, we don't want criminals or disabled people. We want the morally upright, intelligent and healthy. Then I heard a man talking about demographics on a late night radio show about demographics. About 65 million Americans were born between 1965 and 1980. That puts a person between 45 and 21 years old on 911. The military recruits between ages of 18 to 35. Of those only over a quarter met the minimum requirements. That is the same general pool of people who were needed to run a rapidly digitizing economy and carry us into the information age. Of that small subset of the population I get somewhere between 1/7 to 1/4 served of those eligible served.

[@gangstapope666]

18:45

[@saffronsworld1508]

Liberal bilge.

[@blurgalsklech2929]

Quoi?

[@MendicantBias1]

@nergvol It would be better to read Thomas Ricks books (and others on the Iraq War) than look for wisdom and insight in comments page of KZbin.

[@cosmicmuffet1053]

It would be better to light a single candle than curse the darkness.

[@johanlindwall7295]

I like listening to mr Ricks here, seems like a thoughtful man of the kind that any nation should listen to before or during a war.

[@bobnewsdog]

Before would be very helpful.

[@michaelgj23]

It doesn't look like it's going to turn out well. Gen. Patreaus was successful in turning the situation in Iraq around militarily, but there are a lot of obstacles that will make political reconciliation difficult. The re-deployment of forces in Iraq to Afghanistan will jeopardize the gains in peace and stability we've made. In short, we're screwed and so are the Iraqi people (Sunnis in particular).

[@JoseJimeniz]

51:20 We did have a national conversation about it. A lot of people, including myself, were screaming out against it. And i know full well it wasn't about oil. It wasn't about defense contractors. It wasn't about keeping the price of oil low (or high, whichever people believe). We also knew full well it wasn't about WMDs. It wasn't about aluminum tubes, or yellowcake. We knew Iraq didn't have any weapons of mass destruction - inspectors told us so. And even if they did: you don't send in military: you send in inspectors. And it wasn't about a meeting in Prague with Mohammad Atta, and the Afghan 9/11 connection. It wasn't about any of those things. And arguing it with anyone, all those points quickly fall to the wayside as they are each refuted one by one. It's because Saddam was a bud guy. He was a brutal dictator who ruled his country with violence and fear. And that's awful. But you don't get to invade them.

[@daviddevault8700]

I enlisted to fight after 911. I believe that the IRAQ war was justified by Saddam's refusal to abide by the 1991 ceasefire agreement. Between then and 203, coalition aircraft bombed IRAQ a few times a week. I saw invasion as an incredibly stupid idea. After we did it we had to win. This was a battle against an enemy no less evil than the NAZIS.

[@JoseJimeniz]

@@daviddevault8700 In that case you were young and taken advantage of.

[@daviddevault8700]

@@JoseJimeniz No that was my second war. I knew what war is. I have heard alot of people critical of America. I have never heard of anyone comparing America to a real place that is better.

[@daviddevault8700]

@@JoseJimeniz I know because I was in Kuwait in the 1990s and saw the bombers fly over towards IRAQ.

[@JoseJimeniz]

@@daviddevault8700 So what do you think Iraq did that deserved to have military go in and kill 250,000 people, rather than sending weapons inspectors.

[@itsme-nt2lj]

CNAS top doners: include Northrup Grumman, Open Society Foundation, Airbus. Boeing, Chevron, Lockheed, Raytheon, USG, Boeing, Exxon Mobil - totally normal

[@edwardhartman5568]

Harder to be a family member… Ricks continues to amaze with insight and wisdom

[@wabdinur]

When the Sunni insurgents accepted a steady payment from the Americans...that's when the insurgency faded.

[@tonyaughney8945]

Zinni was 100% correct.

[@regisgoat]

Not enough people listen to this guy.

[@claudeyaz]

Well now we know why the generals so heavily opposed his campaign to fire more generals..and reward successful generals... Look at what happened in Afghanistan. We gotta change this ! Or our giant military budget is useless!! Like a beginner bike rider using a super expensive bike

[@tonyharty3666]

Draft? Look, if you insist on joining the Military join the French Foreign Legion, British Marines, he’ll join the German Army. You’ll live longer and be better led. Vietnam Vet USN

[@claudeyaz]

French foreign legion has been trying to avoid first world nation soldiers... Instead using very poor and weak and chaotic nations...

[@teresabarrett8676]

BS Netanyahu came over hereto a joint congress said"War with Iraq will be very good"! He was totally FOR IT.

[@peterolsen130]

Of course Given the opportunity, the Israelis will fight to the last drop of American Blood.