The Song of Roland
By Aleksander Nowacki
Intelligence is the key to success on the modern battlefield. Sadly, as last week's events amply demonstrate, it is singularly missing, or at least severely defective, at the top tier of military officialdom in this country.
While the US and UK intelligence services have come under fire from the public for their failure to find the weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) in Iraq, this country's military is in trouble for exactly the opposite reason: because they have been finding things.
When Franco-German Roland missiles were found buried in the ground near the ancient city of Babylon, there was nothing particularly surprising about the discovery. That Saddam Hussein fought his war against Iran with arms from France and the US has always been known. What was shocking was the date of production of the missiles: 2003. The sensational finding was promptly made known to the public. The first reports on the missiles omitted any mention of Germany and seemed to indicate that the country of "cheese-eating surrender monkeys" was solely responsible for arming the evil dictator - even as the US Army was gearing up for an invasion.
The enraged Jacques Chirac, known affectionately to The Sun readers as "not just a worm, but a Paris harlot," and he took issue with the allegations. Conveniently, he and Prime Minister Leszek Miller were both in Rome at the time for an EU summit on the European Union constitutional treaty. It was thus easy for the "Paris harlot" to approach the leader of our heroic nation with a demand for an explanation. How is it possible that the missiles were made this year, he asked, if in fact their production stopped more than a decade ago?
It was then that all hell broke loose. The Prime Minister was apparently unaware of the missile find and Chirac's ability to prove the claims wrong caused him no little discomfort ahead of "tough negotiations with our European partners and peers." How far the latter adjective is accurate is a question of debate; and the Polish effort in Iraq, described as "somewhat improbable" by the international press, is meant to prove that this country is indeed an equal of the Europe's leading countries. The Roland claims did nothing to further that agenda.
The ministry is still trying to establish who was responsible for the false claims, but some things have become clear, while others are even more muddied than before.
"Don't even think of the (Defense) Minister's resignation," Leszek Miller told the country on his return from Rome. "I have clarified the misunderstanding with President Chirac and there are now no problems impeding our relations with France." Two things then are clear: firstly, Leszek Miller is pleased with his performance; secondly, he is happy with his minister, Jerzy Szmajdziński Everything else remains a mystery.
