Syrian Prime Minister’s “Defection” a PR Stunt
Just in case you’re wondering, the Syrian Prime Minister’s “Defection” is a PR Stunt
“According to Hijab’s aide, the “defection” was planned “for months,” indicating that Hijab had apparently made his decision either upon becoming prime minister, or even beforehand…”
This is what Doug Feith’s “Office of Strategic Planning” at the Pentagon attempted to arrange in Iraq… A payoff of government officials in advance to either ‘flee’ to the West or stay in place to take over the helm of the Iraqi government upon invasion.
Doug Feith actually told a State Department employee he was teaching at Georgetown University that the War On Iraq would be over in a matter of weeks he was so sure of the plan.
They failed at that time.
State Dept. Official: “Doug, after the smoke clears, what is the plan?”Feith: “Think of Iraq as being like a computer. And think of Saddam as like a processor. We just take out the old processor, and put in a new one–Chalabi.”
State Dept Official: “Put in a new processor?”
Feith: “Yes! It will all be over in 6 weeks.”
State Dept. Official: “You mean six months.”
Feith: “No, six weeks. You’ll see.”
State Dept. Official: “Doug.”
Feith: “Yes?”
State Dept. Official: “You’re smoking crack, Doug.”
Feith: “Oh, so you’re disloyal to the President, are you?”
Source, Juan Cole’s Informed Comment
Documentation available from the National Security Archive:
Operation POLO STEP (TOP SECRET)
Iraq War Plan Assumed Only 5,000 U.S. Troops Still There by December 2006
[…]
“First, they assumed that a provisional government would be in place by ‘D-Day’, then that the Iraqis would stay in their garrisons and be reliable partners, and finally that the post-hostilities phase would be a matter of mere ‘months’.”
[…]
