The problem is, this approach smells very much like stay the course. Americans have already registered their profound disapproval of that strategy. And unfortunately for politicians, judging by the number of state bans against same-sex marriage, and burgeoning city bans on property rental to illegal immigrants, we also know when our voices are being ignored, and we can yell very loudly when we disapprove of something. Ask O.J. Simpson.
The magnitude of the entire Bush Administration's failure in Iraq continues to increase unabated.
After nearly four years, and a higher body count than September 11th, along with untold thousands of Iraqi deaths and immeasurable suffering, the military strategists couldn't come up with any viable military options other than what the entire country already knew.
Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Peter Pace is being given three possible military options by his generals for solving Iraq.
Go big: Increase the number of US troops in the country.
The problem with this approach is that Iraq is a guerilla war. There are only 3 ways to win a guerilla war: Pounding the heck out of them from above - disrupting their supply lines and raining destruction upon them until they surrender, all-out invasion, or classic counter-insurgency techniques.
A return to airstrikes in populated areas is unlikely. The go-big and counterinsurgency approaches are mutually exclusive. More US troops won't help. Add the lack of political will and the mounting costs, and the go big scenario seems very unlikely.
Go long: This approach would allow for an immediate increase of perhaps twenty to thirty thousand troops in the short-term, to allow Iraqi units to accelerate their training so they can deploy quicker. It would then be followed by a significant, orderly decrease in the number of troops in Iraq, Those who remained would then dig in for the long haul, until the country was under full Iraqi control.
This seems to be the most likely approach. The problem is, this approach smells very much like stay the course. Americans have already registered their profound disapproval of that strategy. And unfortunately for politicians, judging by the number of state bans against same-sex marriage, and burgeoning city bans on property rental to illegal immigrants, we also know when our voices are being ignored, and we can yell very loudly when we disapprove of something. Ask O. J. Simpson
Go home: Adopt the Democratic Party's war fighting strategy, and double-time back to Kuwait. At face value, this seems attractive to some. Stop the killing, bring our boys home... But this approach is both a slap in the face to the thousands of American men who gave their lives in this conflict, as well as a wholesale desertion of the Iraqi voters, bakers, politicians, judges, police officers, military recruits, teachers, journalists, and government contractors who have risked or given their lives in the hopes that they could help foster a democratic Iraq after thirty years of tyranny.
Those are the options. They are essentially the same options we started with. Not very much there to be optimistic about. This is not to say that the generals are at fault. To the contrary; They were put in this untenable position by the President and his advisors, and are only carrying out his orders.
The War Of Wits Iraq strategy combines elements of all three available options. It's called Go big, THEN go long, then go home. Here it is:
Go Big: Increase the number of coalition troops including tanks, APCs, armor, and attack helicopters to the correct level for the task at hand. Do not take into account Iraqi troops, trained or otherwise. They aren't reliable, and may never be.
Go long: Finish the war. Disrupt the jihadi networks. Seal the borders. Confiscate the weapons. Crush the terrorists. Stay there as long as it takes, but FINISH THE JOB.
Go home. Honor this generation of soldiers by allowing them to accomplish their mission, instead of being sent on a snipe hunt, or withdrawn prematurely by Democrats.
Regardless of how it ends, this entire episode will go down in history as a textbook case of how NOT to fight a war. Rather than sticking to time-tested principles of military doctrine, Bush chose to adopt the wing it approach - depending on Iraqis to meet American standards of combat readiness. President Bush has left us with limited options and good men are dying every day as a consequence.
Go big, go long, go home. Go figure.
On this Thanksgiving, let us all be thankful that we live in a place where you needn't look very far for heroes. They're all around us, from sea to shining sea. Emulate them. Honor them.
11/19/2006 USMC Lcpl. Jeremy S. Shock 22, Tiffin, OH (KIA)
11/18/2006 US Army Spc. Bradley N. Shilling - 22, Stanwood, MI (IED)
11/16/2006 US Army Cpt. Rhett W. Schiller 26, ??, WI (KIA)
11/15/2006 US Army Cpt. John R. Dennison 24, Ijamsville, MD (KIA)
11/15/2006 US Army SFC Schuyler B. Haynes 40, ??, New York (IED)
11/15/2006 US Army Spc. Mitchel T. Mutz 23, Falls city, TX (IED)
11/14/2006 US Army Spc. Eric G. Palacios Rivera 21, Atlantic City, NJ (KIA)
11/14/2006 US Army Col. Thomas H. Felts Sr. - 45, Sandston, VA (IED)
11/14/2005 US Army Spc. Justin R. Garcia 26, Elmhust, NY (IED)
11/14/2006 US Army SFC Tung M. Nguyen 38, Tracy, CA (KIA)
11/14/2006 USMC Lcpl. Mario D. Gonzalez 21, La Puente, CA (KIA)
11/14/2006 USMC Lcpl Michael D. Scholl 21, Lincoln, NB (KIA)
11/14/2006 USMC Lcpl. Timothy W. Brown 21, Sacramento, CA (KIA)
11/13/2006 US Army PFC Daniel J. Allman II 20, Canon, GA (IED)
11/13/2006 US Army PFC Jang H. Kim 20 , Placentia, CA (IED)
11/12/2006 US Army 1st. Lt. Michael A. Cerrone 24, Clarksville, TX (IED)
11/12/2006 US Army PFC Harry A. Winkler III 32, Clarksville, TN (IED)
11/11/2006 US Army Ssgt. William S. Jackson II 29, Saginaw, MI (IED)
11/11/2006 US Army Ssgt.Misael Martinez 24, Chapel Hill, NC (IED)
11/11/2006 US Army Sgt. Angel De Jesus Lucio Ramirze 22, Pacoima, CA (IED)
11/9/2006 USMC Lcpl.Kristopher C. Warren 19, Resaca, GA (NCR)*
11/9/2006 USMC Sgt. Bryan K. Burgess 35, Garden City, MI (KIA)
11/9/2006 US Army Sgt. Courtland A. Kennard 22, Starkville, MS (IED)
11/9/2006 US Army Ssgt. Gregory W. G. McCoy 26, Webberville, MI (IED)
11/9/2006 US Army SFC Rudy A. Salcido 31, Ontario, CA (IED)
11/7/2006 US Army Ssgt. Richwell A. Doria 25, San Diego, CA (KIA)
Jayme Evans is a veteran of the United States Navy, a military analyst, conservative opinion columnist, and an advocate for disabled and other veterans. He has served for many years as a Subject Matter Expert specializing in the testing of systems software for numerous major US organizations. He has extensively studied amateur astronomy and metallurgy, as well as military and US history. His brutally honest, in-your-face political commentary has been published in many west coast newspapers, and he is a regular contributing columnist to a multitude of internet sites, including WebCommentary.com, The Conservative Voice, and Conservative Crusader. Mr. Evans has also written guest editorials for Military Magazine, and he has been a frequent guest columnist on WorldNetDaily, writing about legislative and veteran's issues.
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