PBS' Frontline is offering a 3 hour retrospective of the Iraq War last night and tonight. Last night was the first 2 hours, tonight will finish it up.

You can watch the entire program on its web site. I'll give you the link in a moment. Also on the web site is a timeline with appropriate video clips from those times.

The one causing me to shake my head the most was the testimony of Gen Shinseki, the Army Chief of Staff at the time the war began. Three weeks before the war began, in testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee, Gen Shinseki was asked (this is old news, but it bears repeating in light of what has happened) how many troops would be required after the initial hostilities were over by Senator Carl Levin from Michigan.

For those of you who don't know how these things work, you can see the General struggle with how to answer. Shinseki knew the answer, but with all things political (and so much in life) its not what you say, its how you say it. His eyes go up, almost as if he's looking at the figures on a blackboard. Then Levin helps him out by saying a range (rather than a precise figure) will be OK. Shinseki's eyes come down and he says (paraphrasing) several hundred thousand.

In fact, we did indeed end up putting several hundred thousand boots on the ground. Over 50% of those boots are expensive contractor boots. That means we are fighting this war at retail cost rather than wholesale cost. Retail is, of course, much more expensive than wholesale. Now you know part of the reason this war is costing us $12 Billion a month.

Here is the link.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/bushswar/?campaign=pbshomefeatures_1_frontlinebrbushswar_2008-03-25