General Tommy Franks once famously described Douglas Feith as the "fucking stupidest guy on the face of the earth." It appears, however, that accurate though that quote may be, Franks himself might well be a worthy competitor for the title. An article regarding a newly published history of the Iraq invasion and occupation produced by the Army suggests that part of the disastrous occupation strategy (or lack thereof) can be laid directly at the feet of Franks, who decided to put an inexperienced and shorthanded staff in charge of the occupation, based on the premise that the war was over. In the process, he replaced a larger more senior headquarters group that had been in charge of planning for the invasion and occupation. He did so in anticipation of an "abbreviated period of stability operations."
It seems fair to say then that however impressive his credentials, Feith had no monopoly on stupidity, a commodity that has been far too readily available during the current Administration.
