24 March 2006
The Forever War (apologies to Joe Haldeman)
So the Shrub tacitly admits he hasn't a clue as to how to get us out of Iraq:
And the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs predicts essentially interminable fighting in the so-called "War 0n Terror", which to date has been almost as sucessful as the War on (Some) Drugs:
But there is an essential flaw in the concept of a "War Against Terror" (just as there is, for that matter, in the basic concept of a "War on (Some) Drugs"); i've pointed it out a number of times, but this quote (from a piece by Alfred A. Hambidge, Jr posted some while back (in 2003, i think) on Col. David Hackworth's website:
"Four more years", forsooth. ¶ 5:19 AM
Asked later if he could envision a day when no U.S. troops would be in Iraq, Bush said that is a goal, but it "will be decided by future presidents and future governments of Iraq."In other words, "not till 2009 at the earliest".
[more]
And the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs predicts essentially interminable fighting in the so-called "War 0n Terror", which to date has been almost as sucessful as the War on (Some) Drugs:
"Iraq and Afghanistan will over time become stable," he said in a keynote address. "But the war on terror will continue long after Iraq and Afghanistan have had success in standing up their own governments."Even without the "long after" part, that statement sounds like "Until the twelfth of when? When what freezes over?", given how well the two nations referenced are doing at setting up stable democratic governments. (Consider the case of the Afghan who faces execution because he converted to Christianity... I thought we threw the Taliban out.)
But there is an essential flaw in the concept of a "War Against Terror" (just as there is, for that matter, in the basic concept of a "War on (Some) Drugs"); i've pointed it out a number of times, but this quote (from a piece by Alfred A. Hambidge, Jr posted some while back (in 2003, i think) on Col. David Hackworth's website:
"And what the hell is terrorism, anyway? It's not a thing; it's not a place; it's not a person. It is a political and military strategy, that's all. Having a 'War On Terrorism' is as ridiculous as having a 'War on Flanking Maneuvers'. You'll end terrorism when there's no longer anything for anybody to get pissed off about."(My own version of that thought is "The only things you can fight directly are things that, somewhere, have an actual throat you can get your hands on."
"Four more years", forsooth. ¶ 5:19 AM
