Nation Building, Anyone?*****************
For as long as I can remember Republicans, in general, and Conservatives, in particular, have been dead set against Nation Building.
What happened?
We’re into Nation Building in Iraq! Big time!
Now, I know it is not the popular thing to say these days, but we won the war in Iraq. We invaded, completely destroyed the military of Iraq, overthrew the government of Iraq, and captured the Iraqi Dictator-in-Hiding. Saddam was tried and hanged!
I’m not a Neo-Con. If anything, I’m an old moss-backed Paleo-Con. I do not believe in Nation Building… at all. I’m from the old school in which you invade a country, and destroy it’s military, it’s government, it’s infrastructure and … then you leave. A very important part of the punishment of that enemy country is to leave it a smoking pile of rubble!
This is an important part of any victory. The ability to point to a former enemies pile of rubble and say, hey, you mess with us and you, too, will wind up like that!
It has something to do with the “fear factor”. Scare the living daylights out of any potential enemies.
Granted, it’s not pretty, but it is effective. You see, I’m not into trying to win friends and influence people. Never have been. I’m into winning.
See, I told you it was not pretty.
This Nation Building is costing us treasure and blood. I’m sorta averse to contributing either one!
The US has to make attacking us too costly for any country to even contemplate. To demonstrate that cost, we need to completely obliterate a country or two, sort of as examples, don’t you see?
But, so long as we go into countries and knock them down, and them help them back up, and rebuild their country, where’s the cost to them. Iraq will be in better shape when US forces finally DO leave than it has been since, well, I don’t know when.
I think Genghis Khan had it about right. Hit fast, hit hard, destroy everything in sight… and leave!
Did anyone ever ask “ole Genghis” what HIS exit strategy was? Huh? Guess not. You see, everybody knew, already!
No, our politicians have to get out in front of our Generals, and the troops, and prevent them from performing the jobs they were trained to do. Kill and destroy. Instead, they want the troops to all sit in a circle, hold hands, and sing “Kum Baya”.
It’s utter nonsense. It should be as simple as one, two, three:
One: Deploy to the enemy country
Two: Cream the enemy (and his country)
Three: Re-deploy home.
In the meantime, keep the troops razor sharp, and leaning forward, so that next time a troublemaker sticks his head up, he knows what’s coming.
Our troops have won the war. Now the politicians, in Washington, are so uncomfortable with victory, they feel this overpowering urge to “kiss and make-up” by rebuilding that which we have just destroyed. Makes no sense to me.
It’s not very diplomatic, I know. But then, again the French are credited with inventing diplomacy. That’s all I need to know about diplomacy!
Yeah, the more I think about it, the more I think “ole Genghis” was on to something there.
Longstreet
For as long as I can remember Republicans, in general, and Conservatives, in particular, have been dead set against Nation Building.
What happened?
We’re into Nation Building in Iraq! Big time!
Now, I know it is not the popular thing to say these days, but we won the war in Iraq. We invaded, completely destroyed the military of Iraq, overthrew the government of Iraq, and captured the Iraqi Dictator-in-Hiding. Saddam was tried and hanged!
I’m not a Neo-Con. If anything, I’m an old moss-backed Paleo-Con. I do not believe in Nation Building… at all. I’m from the old school in which you invade a country, and destroy it’s military, it’s government, it’s infrastructure and … then you leave. A very important part of the punishment of that enemy country is to leave it a smoking pile of rubble!
This is an important part of any victory. The ability to point to a former enemies pile of rubble and say, hey, you mess with us and you, too, will wind up like that!
It has something to do with the “fear factor”. Scare the living daylights out of any potential enemies.
Granted, it’s not pretty, but it is effective. You see, I’m not into trying to win friends and influence people. Never have been. I’m into winning.
See, I told you it was not pretty.
This Nation Building is costing us treasure and blood. I’m sorta averse to contributing either one!
The US has to make attacking us too costly for any country to even contemplate. To demonstrate that cost, we need to completely obliterate a country or two, sort of as examples, don’t you see?
But, so long as we go into countries and knock them down, and them help them back up, and rebuild their country, where’s the cost to them. Iraq will be in better shape when US forces finally DO leave than it has been since, well, I don’t know when.
I think Genghis Khan had it about right. Hit fast, hit hard, destroy everything in sight… and leave!
Did anyone ever ask “ole Genghis” what HIS exit strategy was? Huh? Guess not. You see, everybody knew, already!
No, our politicians have to get out in front of our Generals, and the troops, and prevent them from performing the jobs they were trained to do. Kill and destroy. Instead, they want the troops to all sit in a circle, hold hands, and sing “Kum Baya”.
It’s utter nonsense. It should be as simple as one, two, three:
One: Deploy to the enemy country
Two: Cream the enemy (and his country)
Three: Re-deploy home.
In the meantime, keep the troops razor sharp, and leaning forward, so that next time a troublemaker sticks his head up, he knows what’s coming.
Our troops have won the war. Now the politicians, in Washington, are so uncomfortable with victory, they feel this overpowering urge to “kiss and make-up” by rebuilding that which we have just destroyed. Makes no sense to me.
It’s not very diplomatic, I know. But then, again the French are credited with inventing diplomacy. That’s all I need to know about diplomacy!
Yeah, the more I think about it, the more I think “ole Genghis” was on to something there.
Longstreet
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3 comments:
That "smash the enemy and go home" bit didn't work so well in MY country. Sorry, my FORMER country.
I’m not a Neo-Con. If anything, I’m an old moss-backed Paleo-Con. I do not believe in Nation Building… at all. I’m from the old school in which you invade a country, and destroy it’s military, it’s government, it’s infrastructure and … then you leave. A very important part of the punishment of that enemy country is to leave it a smoking pile of rubble!
**********************************
As a Christian I KNOW that one will not be judge by how he treats his friends but by how he treats his enemies....
As a human being, a son and a grandson of respectable, dignified men, who fought for this once great but now putrid nation, I KNOW also that if someone was to invade and conquer say, Bush, hell I'd cheer, but if they left my neighborhood, my family without power, water, food, shelter, it would be "ON", and in time I would rebuild and would be the biggest advisary of that nation, and it's descendants until the end of time itself.
"but if they left my neighborhood, my family without power, water, food, shelter, it would be "ON", and in time I would rebuild and would be the biggest advisary of that nation, and it's descendants until the end of time itself."
************************
You mean, sorta like the Union did to the Confederacy? HA!
Seriously, more harm was done to the Southern States by the so-called "Reconstruction" than was done by the war itself! Maybe that is why we Southerners take such a dim view of Nation Building (otherwise known as "reconstruction".)
Best regards!
Longstreet
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