Posted on 10/28/2009 1:11:27 PM PDT by Servant of the Cross
What America needs today,” Sen. John Kerry insisted, “is a smarter, more comprehensive and far-sighted strategy for modernizing the Middle East.” We have to “draw on all of our nation’s strengths,” including “military might” and “the immense moral prestige of freedom and democracy.” Plus, he said, “the world’s largest economy” must invest heavily in education and infrastructure in the Middle East’s developing countries.
Dissections of counterinsurgency’s fine points were not yet in vogue when Kerry laid out this ambitious blueprint for nation-building — indeed, region-building. Other than that, though, he could have easily been describing the McChrystal plan for Afghanistan.
But this was at Georgetown University in early 2003. At the time, Afghanistan seemed to have been won, our war objectives — routing al-Qaeda and toppling its host regime, the Taliban — having been achieved. It would take more than six years, and a shift in Washington’s conventional wisdom to Kerry’s way of thinking, before there was a McChrystal plan. Now that that’s finally happened, what a surprise to find Senator Weathervane . . . opposed!
-- SNIP --
But here’s the problem: Obama is commander-in-chief now. It’s not like his responsibilities are suspended while he votes “present” on the McChrystal plan for still more weeks. Undermanned American forces are in grave danger today. More have been killed this month than in any since 2001. As the nation-builders get cold feet, the enemy gets bold feet. It’s beyond time to give our commanders what they need — in resources, time and space — to crush al-Qaeda and the Taliban once and for all. If Obama doesn’t have the gumption to give that order, he ought to say so and bring our troops home. Leaving them in this limbo is irresponsible.
(Excerpt) Read more at article.nationalreview.com ...
like Debbie did Dallas??
GMTA
What a flaming douchebag. (If one can flame)
One of the myriad of items the US needs is: two intelligent Senators from MA for a change.
How much long will she take it?
Liberals love Vietnam - it's the only war they ever won.
What America needs today,” Sen. John Kerry insisted, “is a smarter, more comprehensive and far-sighted strategy for modernizing the Middle East.” We have to “draw on all of our nation’s strengths,” including “military might” and “the immense moral prestige of freedom and democracy.
The President has already noted we are no better then any country and should never force our freedom and democracy on another nation.
spend = spent.
Kerry is such a clown.
David Galula in writing arguably the finest modern book on counterinsurgency warfare summarizes eight steps for implementation area by area.
1. Concentrate enough armed forces to destroy or expel the main body of armed insurgents.
2. Detach for the area sufficient troops to oppose an insurgent’s comeback in strength, install these troops in the hamlets, villages and towns where the population lives.
3. Establish contact with the population, control its movements in order to cut off links with the guerrillas.
4. Destroy the local insurgent political organizations.
5. Set up, by means of elections, new provisional local authorities.
6. Test these authorities by assigning them various concrete tasks. Replace the softs and incompetents. Give full support to active leaders. Organize self-defense units.
7. Group and educate the leaders in a national political movement.
8. Win over or suppress the last insurgent remnants.
The Obama administration dawdles over steps 5 through 7 when critical military operations must wrest initiative from the Taliban. A military providing security must precede “hearts and minds” initiatives by civil servants, and meaningful nationwide elections. Currently, too many people align themselves to whichever violent faction accepts them each day. Only within secure environments will moderate local political and spiritual leaders emerge as they relax from thoughts dominated by assassins continually stalking them and their families.
McChrystal understands the above realities.
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