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Bush forgot that lesson too, as he let civilians like Rumsfeld run the war, and it was not until he said screw Rummy and listened to the generals, that Iraq turned around.
I agree completely. The Iraq war should have been long since over, but Bush was too busy handling it with kid gloves. It started off well, but the longer it went on, the more he started listening to his advisers instead of his Generals.
Very good points. The best way to fight terrorism is to pull out of those countries and make sure our borders are IRONCLAD. And that means keeping the illegal mexicans out too!
Well there was a clear and present danger as well as an appropriate response to Afghanistan. The Taliban harbored those people who attacked us and took the lives of over 3000 of our countrymen, that warrants a harsh response in my opinion. At the time there was little infrastructure and organization as compared to today and we stood a pretty good chance of effectively removing as much of the threat of Al Qaeda as possible. Even the rest of the Arab world stood by us and said... happy hunting.
What followed when we turned out heads and focused on Iraq was nothing less than hubris and delusions of grand hegemony. Even Iraq may have warranted a response for various violations of UN mandates, but to invade the country, to break it and to buy it? Was this really the adequate response?
I think these think tank people from the PNAC and the AEI who formulated this debacle did so under the premise that we kicked butt in Grenada, Panama, and Desert Storm and surmised it would be a "cake walk". The difference being is that we had a clear goal in those conflicts, did our thing and got out. We now pay the price for letting fear win.
Mission "Af-Pak" Get your bumper stickers at Wal Mart. 10% discount for anyone who has relatives fighting for "freedom on the march" in Af-Pak !!! The US eagle loves to dig his talons deep into the conquered (oops! "liberated," excuse me) sands of 3rd world countries, especially if they have a "few bad apples" or one big bad apple, and some natural resource and/or "strategic territory." The eagle cannot leave ! What would the neighbors think ? Deluded people produce illusioned children who will follow the call of the siren song. "Elective war." Rolls right off the tongue, no ? I always thought that the military was for defense when a nation is attacked. Viet nam was supposed to stop Communism. Now, the "Af-Pak" bumper stickers are made in Communist China. Uncle Commie. Yup. Reality bites. Have you hugged your "Af-Pak bear" today ?
Mission "Af-Pak" Get your bumper stickers at Wal Mart. 10% discount for anyone who has relatives fighting for "freedom on the march" in Af-Pak !!! The US eagle loves to dig his talons deep into the conquered (oops! "liberated," excuse me) sands of 3rd world countries, especially if they have a "few bad apples" or one big bad apple, and some natural resource and/or "strategic territory." The eagle cannot leave ! What would the neighbors think ? Deluded people produce illusioned children who will follow the call of the siren song. "Elective war." Rolls right off the tongue, no ? I always thought that the military was for defense when a nation is attacked. Viet nam was supposed to stop Communism. Now, the "Af-Pak" bumper stickers are made in Communist China. Uncle Commie. Yup. Reality bites. Have you hugged your "Af-Pak bear" today ?
Hog wash! You sound like a 60's re-tread. The idea that America fought any war since WWII for the purpose of exploiting the resources of third world countries is laughable. Would that it were so. At least we would be repaid the treasure expended in these undertakings. Don't look for that to happen any time soon.
Hog wash! You sound like a 60's re-tread. The idea that America fought any war since WWII for the purpose of exploiting the resources of third world countries is laughable. Would that it were so. At least we would be repaid the treasure expended in these undertakings. Don't look for that to happen any time soon.
Well, sunshine, if I am a 1960's "retread" your "truck Nuts" have the outer covering peeling off.
Hog wash! You sound like a 60's re-tread. The idea that America fought any war since WWII for the purpose of exploiting the resources of third world countries is laughable. Would that it were so. At least we would be repaid the treasure expended in these undertakings. Don't look for that to happen any time soon.
Sometimes it isn't even a matter of exploiting resources, as much as it is just controlling access to them. In the case of Iraq and the Gulf region at large, I want you to take a look at the various companies that have large stakes in petroleum development.
Qui bono, was a phrase asked by the Roman consul, which asks, "who benefits", as often the guilty are found among those who have something to gain from an act. So, whether Iraq was born out of resource theft or if it were merely a result of it, qui bono?
1056 pages spanning 232 years of US foreign policy; I may have to add this to my Christmas list. Concerning open ended, loosely defined wars of choice, I think Sun Tzu's Art of War will not only suffice but is probably one of the most pertinent works on the subject. I know that every military commander who has attended West Point has read it along with The Prince by Machiavelli, and Frederick the Great, so maybe this should be required reading to everyone in Congress who works with foreign policy.
Oddly enough, the people who promulgated our misadventures in Iraq such as the PNAC and AEI, held Machiavelli's The Prince as a bible on state control. Too bad they cherry picked it and skipped Tzu.
Hog wash! You sound like a 60's re-tread. The idea that America fought any war since WWII for the purpose of exploiting the resources of third world countries is laughable. Would that it were so. At least we would be repaid the treasure expended in these undertakings. Don't look for that to happen any time soon.
Back in 2003 the Bush Administration was touting the possibility that Iraqi oil exports would pay for the cost of the war. I think it was Paul Wolfowitz(sp) who first floated the concept. Admittedly, it wasn't a factor for going there but it certainly was a consideration for staying there. Qui Bono indeed.
Back in 2003 the Bush Administration was touting the possibility that Iraqi oil exports would pay for the cost of the war. I think it was Paul Wolfowitz(sp) who first floated the concept. Admittedly, it wasn't a factor for going there but it certainly was a consideration for staying there. Qui Bono indeed.
Typical ldiotic idea from the --- wolfowitz!!!!!!!!!
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