Lance
Sam James
Josh Adams
fooser
jslef
Terry Woods
Ryan
davenate
Mike O
gospelnous
bleport
halldg
jack3566
Reading on Walden Bookstore
Tyler D.
Hugo
JonWars End
Wars end. Despite the intent of the United States government to wage unending wars on poverty, drugs, and terrorists, history tells us wars always end.
Sometimes it is at the eleventh hour, upon the precipice of some fresh armageddon. Other times the end comes after the holocaust.
We have been five years in Iraq. Four thousand have given all.
George Bush is bent on one more firestorm before leaving office; he’s avenged his father, and now he wants to clean up after Jimmy Carter’s mess, too.
William S. Lind, who coined the term “fouth generation warfare”, is concerned that this coming war with Iran may result in the loss of our army in Iraq, envisioning a nation-wide bug-out.
But this will not be like the Saigon embassy roof evacuation. We no longer have a field army in Iraq, but instead are spread like “penny-packets” throughout the country, making it essential that “every American ground unit in Iraq needs its own plan to get itself out of the country using only its own resources and whatever it can scrounge locally.” Army of One, indeed.
I
n war-gaming an Iranian response to US air strikes, Lind’s worst-case scenario admits Iran’s ability to shut down the Persian Gulf to shipping and oil production, mostly through the use of mines and sabotage. He also assumes the Mahdi Army and the Badr Brigades would mobilize and attack our remote garrisons in force and be in position to control the roads and cut our land route to Kuwait. This is not the highest probability outcome, but it is a distinct possibility, and as such must be part and parcel of contingency planning. Unless you want to play craps with the lives of the troops in Iraq.
All wars come to an end. The American economy is near collapse, and anti-war public opinion is approaching a tipping point of no return.
While Bush prepares for wider war, the British are withdrawing from their garrisons and the southern tier of Iraq is becoming bandit country once again. And although we’ve avoided full-blown civil war, we have in the course of five years of shifting tactics now armed both Shi’a and Sunnis without any progress in political reconciliation.
Patton wanted to push on to Moscow, and Schwarzkopf was ready to take Badgad, but wiser heads prevailed. George Walker Bush wants to double-down and create a free-fire zone that stretches from the Arabian Peninsula to the Khyber Pass. We are neck deep in the big muddy.
In this election year, we can only hope that the next president will end our Mesopotamian Expedition.
John McCain has just returned from the war zone, and he remains resolute. John has no contingincy plans. His war strategy comes not from Sun Tzu, but Al Davis. “Just win, baby.”
Hillary Clinton shows no sign of backing down, either. In fact, the former first lady wants you to think she’s John Wayne, out dodging bullets in Apache territory.
And that leaves Barak Obama. Only because he hasn’t proven himself to be as evil as the rest do I dare hope his election will bring wars end.
Filed under: Barack Obama, Commentary, Election 2008, Geopolitics, History, Iraq, News, Politics, Republicans, Ron Paul
Yes, wars end; you either win or lose. Currently, we are winning and are nearing the end game of turning over defense to the Iraqis. But would you prefer a loss? I supose you’d prefer those 8 million fingers were never dyed with the purple ink of an election.
The economy near collapse? Then why on earth is my phone ringing off the hook based on an old resume I posted months ago when Citi looked like it was going to whack our whole department (and didn’t because things aren’t that bad)? Why are unemployment numbers not through the roof? Why are the only businesses in trouble deal with credit and some aspects of housing?
Economically, we have oil prices, and the credit crunch. SInce the anti-war gang told us this war was for the oil that now flows from Iraq, I find the first ironic. Massive increases in demand from China and India is the 800 pound chicken that has coe home to roost there. Of course, not drilling in Alaska anf off the Florida coast doesn’t help either. But remember that we’re protecting a few thousand unendangered caribou next time you tank up your SUV (I detest those arrogan gas guzzlers myself and always have)
The credit crunch, people (not including my family) have done to themselves with their irresponsibility. Americans added $2 Trillion to credit card debt last year; refusing to live within your means is a sure path to personal collapse.
One reason I was skeptical of becoming antiwar was because of the whole “it’s for oil!” junk. That made little sense to me because we saw no profits from it.
A large government like ours inherently pushes towards Imperialism.
Oh, Terry, Patton was right on Moscow. We should have invaded there after we defeated the Nazis instead of allying with the Communists. Instead we gave a third of Europe to Stalin and partially created the mess we see today.
Mike:
We won the war. MIssion Accomplished. Now we’re just hanging around like the guest that won’t leave the party. A very rude guest. The Iraqi’s can clean up after themselves, Al Qaida isn’t going to take over the country. Iran might, but we knew that going in Iran would be the big regional winner after we killed Saddam.
I’m with you on the personal economics - scratching my head about all the idiots that have been living on credit their whole lives - but disagree on the macro aspect, i.e., I believe we have been experiencing hyper-inflation for years, but thanks to cheap imports and the (Orwellian) re-defininition of Inflation to mean Consumer Price Index, the American public has been decieved into believing inflation is being tightly controlled. The banks know what’s going on. For most of this century interest rates have been crazy low, like they’re giving the money away. Why? ‘Cause it ain’t worth nothing.
Lance,
I know the Cold War wasn’t blood-les, but ultimately the USSR fell without a shot, and without US occupation of Moscow.
But hundreds of millions died in the process.
I never wanted occupation of Moscow, but their defeat was needed after the Nazis fell. We shouldn’t have occupied Germany either.
You may not have trouble getting a job, Mike, as an experienced and well seasoned professional, but my friends who are recent college graduates are having a much harder time. I only know a handful who haves job, and their amazing positions are at places like “Best Buy” and bulk mailers.
Just throwing my own anecdotes out there. As someone who’s living outside the country, I don’t deal with these problems every day, but I can tell you that, as things get economically worse in America, the value of my salary over here goes up every day. My yearly pay is now ‘thousands’ of dollars higher than when I moved here.
Also, saying that all wars are either “win or lose” affairs is dangerously simple-minded. Even in the days of feudalism, if you conquered a country or territory (Ireland, for example), you had to constantly put down revolts and acts of rebellion. One day, we’re going to have to withdraw some of the troops. If not now, when? The fighting is never going to completely end.
As long as our forces remain in Iraq, we’ll always be suspiciously ‘nearing endgame,’ but direly needed to maintain security. I’ve been hearing that victory is near for years, yet the President’s own criteria for victory require “Iraq is in the lead defeating terrorists and providing its own security, with a fully constitutional government in place, and on its way to achieving its economic potential,” and this isn’t even the long term requirement. In the long term, Bush says this is what Iraq should be like: “Iraq is peaceful, united, stable, and secure, well integrated into the international community, and a full partner in the global war on terrorism.”
Does it sound like we’re close to that today? Hmm. Considering the green zone is locked down and Turkey had to invade to stop the Kurdish rebels, I’d say no.