Having worked on the dark side of military procurement (both in and out of uniform), I've seen how ugly a process it can be. I believe a lot of these people who are carping from the sidelines have an agenda - they hope to shape procurement to favor their pet projects in the years to come.

In almost all military operations, those who have seen the plan will never talk about it while the operations are going on. On the other hand, those who are talking have almost never seen the plan.

If memory serves, you've served in the military, Buck, as have I and some others who post here. I don't know in which branch you served or at what level, but perhaps you weren't exposed to the egos and political powerplays that go on behind the scenes as high ranking officers battle for budgets. It's like making sausages - once you've seen how they're made, you may never want to eat one again. Likewise, once you've seen the political maneuvering and backstabbing that goes on in the battle for budgets and influence, you tend not to have a lot of respect for the players.

After the war is over, men like Franks and his staff will have much more freedom to talk about their plan of operations and any interference they might've encountered. Until I hear it from them, I'm not putting any credance in the reports from "unnamed Colonels."

And like you, I wish for a speedy military victory with as few casualties as possible on all sides, with the exception of Saddam's henchmen. I wish a very high casualty rate for them.