OK, there is a lot of stuff re: the Iraq war and so on that I find disturbing, but this latest bit of news – from Brigadier General Mark Scheid, commander of the Army Transportation Corps (one of the early planners for the war in Iraq) – makes so much sense that it hurts:

Months before the United States invaded Iraq in 2003, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld forbade military strategists from developing plans for securing a post-war Iraq, the retiring commander of the Army Transportation Corps said Thursday.

In fact, said Brig. Gen. Mark Scheid, Rumsfeld said “he would fire the next person” who talked about the need for a post-war plan.

— Eustis chief: Iraq post-war plan muzzled, Hampton Roads dailypresss.com

This is from one of the military honchos in charge of the Iraq issue, and he’s saying the Defense Secretary forbade any post-war planning.

Huh? WTF?

Sure, Scheid could be lying, embellishing or fudging, but how often do Brigadier Generals do this? To this degree? And his comments certainly fit with the – to many eyes – lack of “exit strategy plan” we have in Iraq.

Either way…ouch…