I Believe That I've Heard This Story Before

If you missed Gabe's previous post on Obambi's Afghanistan waffles, it's here. I was over at Politico reading their article referenced in the post, and I got a flash of recognition.

Troop deployments being done for political reasons that are antithetical to tactical reasons given by their commanders?

McKiernan has sought at least some of the additional forces in time for them to be on the ground ahead of expected spring fighting. But the White House appears more concerned with getting troops in place ahead of the Afghan presidential elections, now scheduled for August, an official said.

And then, when you're done slapping your military commanders in the face, you use Pretzel Logic to justify your dumbass political decision?

Instead of using U.S. forces primarily to kill and capture insurgents, the strategy review is likely to recommend placing more emphasis on protecting the Afghan population, several officials said. In that case, getting McKiernan the troops by spring is not the primary concern, an official said.

Yeah, I've seen this story before. In the versions I remember, Al Quaeda's lead scientist, Destro, built a weather control machine so that Al Quaeda (which was called "Cobra Command" in the version I remember - must have been trouble getting AQ to sign off on their portrayal in the show?) could blackmail the UN for ONE HUNDRED TRILLION DOLLARS! Of course, the elite military force GI Joe (under the direct command of Comrade Obama, natch') managed to destroy the machine and rout AQ's troops, all without suffering a SINGLE battlefield casualty. Busted equipment? Yeah sure, but there weren't any of those pesky flag-draped coffins to distract Americans from praising the genius of Comrade Obama's military knowledge.

Seriously, though. This really worries me.

Now, my military experience mostly consists of watching "Patton" about 5,436 times on basic cable, but I seem to remember that INITIATIVE is a big part of winning a war. If Uncle Jimbo or anyone else among the co-bloggers with military experience feels the need to "bigfoot" my post and insert his own thoughts here, I'd be tickled to hear what he's got to say.

My biggest point of reference is High School Football. I know, I know. Football won't be equivalent to war until we start letting defensive backs set Claymores 10 yards downfield, let linemen use bayonets & let Offensive & Defensive coordinators call in airstrikes on the opponent's locker room at halftime; HOWEVER, there are a few basic principles that apply to both endeavors. The one thing that I remember from playing linebacker is that action is ALWAYS better than reaction. The team that sets the pace is the one that will control the game. Don't believe me? What about the "prevent defense"? In the words of Buddy Ryan and other wise old men of the game: "The only thing the Prevent Defense actually PREVENTS is winning the damn game."

By changing the focus of our operations on the ground from "killing and capturing the enemy" to "protecting civilians", we let the enemy dictate when and where we fight. Instead of worrying about having a Predator-launched Hellfire shoved up his ass, the enemy commander can take his time and plan attacks on our strongholds. Anyone remember Jamie Gorelick's Wall of Separation between the CIA and the FBI during the Clinton years? How'd that work out for New York City and The Pentagon?

This passive strategy was crap when we used it in Vietnam. It was crap when the Romans built Hadrian's Wall in Britain to keep the Picts out of their territory. It was crap when General McClellan let General Lee outfox him while commanding a force approximately a THIRD the size of the Army of the Potomac. Hell, it was crap when King Theoden holed up in Helm's Deep to wait out Saruman's orc army. Crap crap crap crap crap.

Don't get me wrong, there ARE drawbacks to rash action. Just ask the Seventh Cavalry how that whole "take the fight to the Indians" thing worked out for them; however, a well planned & supported offensive tempo can keep your enemy reeling. It's a fact.

Unless, of course, you're a "community organizer" who values style over substance. Then the troops are just there as representatives of the "Hope and Change" administration. Jesus Christ, what's next? Blue Helmets for everyone?

At least Bill Clinton had enough knowledge of war to realize that he didn't want to go to Vietnam & busted his ass to get to Oxford. I'm not sure that Unicorn One even knows THAT much about the activity. And that scares the hell out of me.

(My old college buddy "Hogfarmer" is doing a tour in Afghanistan this year as a supply officer. Hopefully, he'll stay far enough away from the Hope and Change that he'll make it home next fall, but I'm afraid that there will be plenty of flag draped coffins coming home in the near future because of Obama's lack of knowledge.)

posted by Russ from Winterset at 08:33 PM

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