Influence of power

The following explanation also occurs within corporate echelons also, but in this instance it is an explanation for why so many senior officers saw no problems in Iraq for four years.
Scene: Meeting at a table in Baghdad. Present: Secretary of Defense, Deputy Secretary, Ground command General, Divisional Generals, and various flunkies.
Secretary: Gentlemen, I want you to be very straight-forward and honest with me in our deliberations today. I want and need your advice so that I can report to the President. Now, first question to you: Are we on track with this war, are we winning this war, do you need anything else other than what we have so generously provided to you?
General in command of ground troops: Thank you Mr. Secretary for allowing us to provide to you the needed information for the President. What I heard the President say several times recently to the world via television and newspapers, that we are making progress and winning is very true, I have no further comments. Do any of the rest of you wish to speak to the President, I mean the Secretary?
A Divisional Commander: Mr. Secretary, Commander, I think you have said all that is necessary to clear up any misgivings anyone might have about our progress.
Ground Commander: Anyone of you other flunkies wish to comment?
Flunkies as a group: NOOO Sir!
Seretary: I have brought a seperate plane load of medals to distribute to all of your heroes, but since there are so many, why don't we just dump them out here in the tent, open up the back flap, and let everyone in the scene who can get here just file through and pick up theirs and any buddies medal who couldn't make it. Just give the Colonel a list of everone's serial numbers so we can enter the award into their record.
I came here looking for volunteers to assign to a Fallujah outpost, which by the way would need a very senior officer there also, but it appears from what I have found out here that those forced resignations, I mean assignments, won't be necessary at this tent.
Colonel, any reason why we can't proceed to the Pentagon to see if we can find some volunteers there?
Colonel: Nooo sir!
Deputy Secretary: Good, let's go, glad I wasn't even necessary here. I intend to recommend you all for a Freedom Medal, just like Tenent, Bremer, Franks, and many others got.