Sunday, September 03, 2006

Another Military Debacle by our Politicians?


(This Post First Ran in July of 2006!)

The weekend newscasts and the wire services carried stories that US troops would be completely out of Iraq by spring of next year. It remains to be seen if they have it right, or wrong.

As I read and listened to the stories, two things rushed to mind. One: the withdrawal is just in time for the election of 2008, and two: withdrawing the troops is wrong. It is a sell-out of those US service members who died in an attempt to make this a successful effort to liberate a people from tyranny.

The fact of the matter is this: If US forces pull out, I am convinced Iraq will be right back in the hands of a dictator with in months, if not weeks.

It is abundantly clear, at least to me, the Iraqis are not capable of governing themselves. I do not believe Democracy has a chance in Iraq. You see, democracy cannot be imposed on a people. Like freedom, you cannot give it to someone. One must fight for, and win, his freedom for it to have worth. The same holds true for democracy. It must be won by struggle. So far the only struggle, waged in Iraq for democracy, was by US forces and those forces of the Coalition.

Trying to govern the Iraqis is like trying to herd cats. It certainly appears that only a “strongman dictator” can keep them in line with brutal efficiency. The US should make sure that the next dictator of Iraq (and there will be one, make no mistake about that!) is our man.

Probably the most ruinous effect, as a result of the withdrawal from Iraq, is that the terrorists will see it as a victory and their stature will go up several notches in the eyes of their fellow Muslims. I think we made a huge mistake by not leveling Iraq, destroying it utterly, and then simply walking away. The US is not a nation builder. Never has been. Oh, but you say, we did it in Japan. Yes, but, Japan had a society based on honor. We had something to work with in Japan.

Legend tells us that when the Romans finally attacked and conquered Carthage, the killed every one they could, then they burned the city to the ground. Not satisfied, they then demolished the rubble. Still not satisfied, they took oxen and plowed the ground upon which the city of Carthage had recently sat and sowed the ground with salt so that nothing, not even a blade of grass, would grow there.

I liked the Romans. They knew how to end a successful campaign against an old enemy.

One other stubborn fact is… in less than a decade we will be back in the Middle East fighting another war against Muslims. Iran has to be brought to her knees, the same for Syria. So, if we are withdrawing our troops for more, and better, training to hone them, and sharpen them, and re-equip them for the coming invasion of Iran, then that sheds a whole new light on the coming withdrawal from Iraq.

If there was a mistake made in Iraq, it was trying the win the hearts and minds of our sworn enemy. The US should never be interested in winning hearts and minds of adversaries. The US should use overwhelming force to remove the aggravating impediment to the US will.

Sounds horrible to say that out loud doesn’t it? The fact is… it’s the way a country wins wars. If a country is not willing to go to the limit, and then some, when it decides to go to war, it is already set-up for defeat. When a country goes to war it should be with total commitment to wage total war.

No country on earth, no military force on earth, can withstand the might of the US military … when it is turned loose to do its job. But, when it never has the leash taken off, as in Viet Nam, and now in Iraq, we wind up with something less than victory and a demoralized military force. It will take decades, and another victorious war, to get our military back up to speed … if the US Government withdraws our forces from Iraq with the job nowhere near finished.

One thing, in closing, before the US involves itself in another war, I’d like to see an Official Secrets Act passed through the Congress and signed into law by the President. The Mainstream Media has turned out to be nearly as lethal for our military as the enemy to it’s front. The media should be denied any contact with members of the US military during a time of war. Zero contact. They should certainly not be allowed in the theatre of operations as they are now, and they should be forbidden from approaching the lowliest Private in Basic Training. Zero contact.

In the meantime, the people of the US need to do some soul searching and ask themselves if they are ready to be a second rate power. Because that is exactly where we are headed. It takes guts, intestinal fortitude, to be a super power. The people of the US are no longer demonstrating that fortitude.

Longstreet

6 comments:

LittleOleLady said...

What you have said here I agree with whole heartedly, and deserves a BIG "AMEN" .. the (Muslim) people of the middle east have no conscience, no love of mankind.. they breed babies to teach them to be bombers.

They will never be anything but what they are unless they do have a 'civilized' country as their leaders and the people that fight to keep them free. . Bottom line.. the reason democracy will never be in the middle east.. they don't want democracy. They pay lip servive to wanting freedom but are too fraid to actually fight for and maintain it. Given a choice they will choose an Islamic government every time.

The people of the USA don't have the resolve they had in wars of yesteryear.. why I don't know.. perhaps the whole thing with Vietnam, perhaps being politically correct is just a disease that is very contagious, either way the people of the USA don't seem to realize that by being the way they are today they run the risk of being led in future days by those same people we are fighting over there today.

Even the president as been bitten by the PC bug.. what we need is a president that will take out imbedded reporters first and then get bidness done!

TexasFred said...

Longstreet, with ALL due respect, we ARE a '2nd rate power', have been since 1975, when we pulled out of Saigon the politicians lost the will to fight... Our troops have that will, but the government doesn't, they think we can do it all with PCness and negotiations, and we can't..

In Iraq, we either need to take FULL control and get that debacle settled correctly or we need to pull out and leave another job half done... And given the marvelous 'war fighting' abilities of THIS POTUS and the DoD/Sec-Def, we're gonna leave a LOT just half-assed done...

And I for 1 hate that...

Longstreet said...

I, too, hate even the thought of that.

I saw first hand, as I expect you did, the effect the Vietnam "pullout" had on our troops. I believe a pullout from Iraq would have even more devestating effects, because the enemy would follow us to our shores and continue the fight here, among our families. I believe that.

Actually, I see no acceptable option... short of gearing up, and actually "fighting" the enemy in Iraq. We have pussy-footed around over there, and tried the politcally correct way of war- fighting and all it has accompolished, so far, is to get nearly 3,000 of our Soldiers and Marines killed.

I am not a fan of Colin Powell, but I am a fan of his "Powell Policy" on war-fighting. "Overwhelming force". Throw everything, and everybody, you've got at them until they are utterly defeated. If it takes nukes, then use nukes!

I gotta tell you... I'd have to think long and hard before I volunteered for the US Military today. Back when I was in, we were a proud, undefeated armed force. (Korea was considered, at the time, a "draw".) My instructors were 2nd World War Vets amd Korean War Vets and we were taught to destroy the enemy. We didn't build back what we destroyed. That was a part of the price the enemy paid for challenging us to war.

I tell you, I sometimes think we could use an army of Mercs to go fight wars for us. Just pay the guys, tell 'em what we want done, and wave goodby at the airfield. The job would get done. Then our "sorry-ass" politicinas could claim "plausible deniability" when there is the ineveitable "collateral damage".

This "nambie pambie" way we are trying to fight this thing, I won't call it a war, in Iraq is downright embarrassing! Not to mention deadly to our troops.

I have a member of my "extended" family over there right now, on his second tour. He had completed his "active service" at the end of his first toir. He was released from active duty, with some 4 years of reserve time. In less than a year they had called him back to active duty and he is back in Iraq. THIS time, it is more dangerous than it was when it was first invaded!

How "telling" is that!

Anonymous said...

As I read and listened to the stories, two things rushed to mind. One: the withdrawal is just in time for the election of 2008, and two: withdrawing the troops is wrong. It is a sell-out of those US service members who died in an attempt to make this a successful effort to liberate a people from tyranny.
************************
It doesn't matter, they will only let another Tyrant become there leader. They vote #1 for religious reasons rather than sanity and freedom. They believe in God, family, then country in the order and vote as such. They listen to radical preachers in their mosques that tell them if they don't vote a certain way they will go to hell. Then they try to get the world to convert to their belief system or be "punished". Wait that sounds like America to me.

Longstreet said...

Good Morning, Frank! I trust a good union man, like yourself, enjoyed your labor day holiday?

Ok, so now we get ready for that great Holiday:
"Merryhallothanksgivaween" next up on the calendar!

Anonymous said...

Actually Longstreet, I work in the office (Project Engineer). I also acknowledge the fact if they paid the laborers in the shop $9.00 they'd pay me $5.00. And yes I did enjoy the paid day off, wouldn't you? And Good morning Suh!