(Op-Ed) Putting an End to the 'Fool's Errand'

[unhappycamper]

Putting an End to the 'Fool's Errand'
James Callard | August 28, 2008

"The biggest stupid idea was to invade Iraq in the first place…. ------- stupid."
-- Lt Col David Kilcullen, Senior military adviser to Condoleezza Rice

"Barack Obama is refreshingly intelligent after having the village idiot in the White House."
-- Retired Air Force General Tony McPeak

The above quotes show serious frustration from military strategists over Bush's national security strategy. Unfortunately the media and pundits continue to focus on the wrong stuff -- like the surge. It was a tactic in an overall flawed strategy. We don't focus on the long view. We don't look past the tips of our skis.

Vietnam vet and Republican senator Chuck Hagel gets it: "Quit talking about, 'Did the surge work or not work.' We're done with that." "What are we going to do for the next four years to protect the interest of America and our allies and restructure a new order in the world?" Can we achieve our national security interests without discarding our values? How will we pay for the strategy?

General McPeak knows that the American taxpayer paid a total of $4.7 billion for the first Persian Gulf War -- less than half of one month's cost of the current war in Iraq. McPeak is part of a small group of officers that felt we should continue to apply the lessons of Desert Storm and the Balkan Wars; that we can project power and influence with more credibility and less risk; and that sacrifice should be a means and not a desired end.

Why have we rejected the lessons of Desert Storm and the war in the Balkans?

There are multiple reasons, and the real story is about the debate that has been going on for the last 18 years, between those advocating real transformation of national security strategy and those that wanted to return to an attrition type warfare that is expensive, unsustainable, manpower intensive, involves heavy casualties, and requires long term occupation of foreign lands.


Rest of article at: http://www.military.com/opinion/0,15202,174606,00.html?wh=news

[grannie4peace]

1. beautiful post--- thank you!!!!!!!