Posted on 04/09/2011 6:47:23 AM PDT by Kaslin
Frank J. offers some pearls of wisdom on what to do the next time (and there will be a next time) America decides to take down a villainous Middle East dictator.
We sure keep getting into wars in the Middle East, dont we? There are just so many people there in dire need of a good bombing terrorists, nutso leaders, camels who look at us cross-eyed that its hard to choose whom to even focus on. But instead of the rah-rah Lets kill those bastards! youd expect from Americans, were now in more of a long, drawn-out-sigh, Not another war mood. And remember that this is from people like me who have nothing at all to do with the military action over there were not even required to find the countries on a map, much less be engaged in combat. I guess were just tired of hearing about the wars.
War is hell if youre in the war. For everyone else, its the whining that gets to us. The constant calls of quagmire and how everyone is dying for nothing and that were only making things worse and how were wasting money (yeah, the left used to pretend to care about that) really wear on us. I dont know how our troops are doing with all the deployments, but all the civilians seem worn out from only hearing about war. Were all war weary despite most of us not being directly affected by any of the combat. Maybe our troops can handle getting shot at and going on multiple deployments just fine, but we cant deal with the civilians complaining about it all the time.
So whats the solution? Dont get into any more wars? Well, President Obama has pretty much proven thats not a possibility. I mean, he was the stereotypical liberal peacenik, denouncing President Bush as vehemently as possible as an awful, awful man for even contemplating getting us into a conflict with a country that was no direct threat to us, and even he couldnt help but start another war in the Middle East (I mean, kinetic military action in the Middle East, wink wink). Its like the dictators there exist just for the purpose of being villains. If you accurately portrayed them in a movie, critics would call them unrealistic for being too one-dimensionally evil and crazy. And when you see people that terrible and also so much weaker than us militarily the U.S. fighting them outright on a battlefield would be like the NFL versus a peewee league team no one has the willpower to not smack them around.
Obviously avoiding wars in the Middle East is not a realistic option, and Im sure well get involved in plenty more in the future. So how can we do that and avoid the constant whining of dumb hippies and having all those useless countries in Europe call us warmongers? Well, think back to the Iraq War and when people really started to viciously complain about it. We had broad support going in, and people were still pretty up on it during the initial bombing campaign and even once we got to the point of pulling down the Saddam statue. People truly started getting angry, and the Bush=Hitler signs came out in full force, when we stayed and tried to help.
Bombing a country is nothing, but hanging around the country afterward, helping it rebuild and establish a system of government where the citizens dont get bossed around by a homicidal dictator, gets us into trouble. And it is pretty difficult for the troops; it requires them to stand out there exposed among the populace instead of just running around in tanks and exploding stuff. Plus it takes a long time, during which there will be constant whining about it, especially if there are Republicans in office to blame. The left basically collaborated with the insurgents in Iraq, saying, Hey, if you kill more troops, then we will scream even louder about how awful this war is and hopefully get Bush out of office. So help us out here!
They didnt mean anything by it, but its useful to understand that no matter how much the left screamed about the Iraq War in those protests, 95% of that was partisan silliness and, at most, 4% actual deeply held belief (and possibly 1% brain parasite). Thats pretty evident when you consider how relatively quiet they are with Obama pretending to care about civilians being killed today wont help defeat Republicans, so why bother? Thats the big problem now theres no longer a separation of war and politics. And our staying in a country and trying to help people means the war goes on longer, which gives it more time to be exploited politically while our troops are in constant peril. Plus, everyone else grows tired of hearing about it. So I ask: Why should we even stay and help a country after weve bombed it?
Think about it. When President Bush gave that famous speech on the aircraft carrier in front of the Mission Accomplished banner, we could have just left the war then and said we won, and who could have argued with us? If you can go to a country, blow stuff up, and leave unscathed, that sounds like success. If someone came and burned your house and walked away, you wouldnt say you won because the guy left. So why shouldnt we in a future conflict in a Middle Eastern country just blow up stuff, declare victory, and leave?
I know of a few objections to that. One is that we might not get the results we want, such as toppling the dictator. Like if we had left Iraq after the Shock and Awe, Saddam could have regained his control of the country. Or someone else even worse could have come into power. Well, guess what? We could have just gone back in and bombed again. Lather, rinse, repeat until we have what we want. Its extremely easy for us to blow stuff up in these countries especially from the air. We can just keep doing it over and over, and they cant stop us or even really threaten us. We have stealth bombers, and Im not even sure all those countries have radar to detect our regular bombers. And we could literally hit a button and obliterate any of those countries anytime we want. We wouldnt, because that would be super mean but it wouldnt hurt to remind people we have the ability.
Would people get angry about us just bombing a country and then heading back home? Sure they would. Theyd scream at us for leaving these countries in shambles and for all the harm wed be causing the civilians. The UN would probably pass an impotent resolution against the U.S. But the military operation would be over, and attention spans are short. Yes, the left would screech about our awful warmongering for a little while after one of these strikes, but then Glenn Beck would say something, and theyd obsess over that like it was the worst thing ever and forget all about the now ended war. So really, devastating a populace will in the end cause a lot less complaining than staying and trying to help.
Yes, this new policy would be awful for the people living in those countries, but currently those people are being brutalized by dictators, so getting brutalized by us is really just a lateral move. I know wed like to help, but its too hard and too risky. Plus the left will never stop screeching about it while were there, and we just cant take that anymore. Remember that dumb Bush lied, people died slogan? Well how about Hippies whined, so
we dont help people no more? Okay, Im not a filthy hippie, so I cant make a good rhyme. Im a conservative, so Im only good at saying things that are both coherent and true.
We will find
sooner or later
if Achmed’ll pray
to a glowing crater
I agree. Much of the Mideast would be improved if you turned it into a glass parking lot.
To all the people who thought putting boots on the ground in Iraq or F ghanistan, or any other muzzy country for that matter:
That ain’t mud on your face.
The U.S. doesn’t fight these wars to topple dictators or address legitimate threats to our national security. We fight these wars to build an empire, which means bombing the crap out of a place and leaving it in the Stone Ages pretty much defeats the whole purpose.
That stuff is long over. Now it is: "let's import any arabs we see, particularly the wealthy ones, and give them a spot in the administration and homeland security. And the Oval Office."
Under no circumstances should we ever leave our hemisphere again. Let them all kill each other. Obama 3.75
The problem isn't "putting boots on the ground"....it is KEEPING boots on the ground. US strategy should be the following....if any country attacks us in any manner, even to the extent of harboring terrorists, we will go in and remove by firing squad the leadership of said country...and LEAVE. Nation building be damned. If Bush I had done what needed to be done (see above) in Gulf War I, there would have BEEN no Gulf War II, and no Obama presidency (and likely no Clinton presidency).
You said it better than me. Thanks.
My plan only takes about a hour:
Step 1: Nuke em till they glow;
Step 2: repeat.
War is hell ... if you're in the war. For everyone else, it's the whining that gets to us. The constant calls of "quagmire" and how everyone is dying for nothing and that we're only making things worse and how we're wasting money (yeah, the left used to pretend to care about that) really wear on us.
This is the Fourth of June.
Think not I never dream
The noise of that infernal noon,
The stretchers’ endless stream, The tales of triumphs won,
The night that found them lies,
The wounded wailing in the sun,
The dead, the dust, the flies.
The flies! Oh God, the flies
That soiled the sacred dead,
To see them swarm from dead men’s eyes
And share the soldiers’ bread.
Nor think I now forget
The filth and stench of war,
The corpses on the parapet,
The maggots on the floor.
A.P. Herbert... but I was definitely stumped. :’)
Yep. Bush1 should have let Saddam keep Kuwait, and also let him have a sizeable chunk of Saudi Arabia. Since Saddam's treasury was broke, he would have sold us oil at an economical price, and Saudi Arabia would have made a great HazMat dump.
Then we could have concentrated on Pakistan and their part in the rise of the Taliban/Al Qaeda.
This guy looks crazy, but how do we know that he didn't just pass a tapeworm?
To have a successful war, you need to wage war until all citizens are on their knees, begging “Please, no more”
See Virginia, 1865 or Japan, Berlin, 1945
It was decimon and his “The first bird fell dead on the lawn,
parlez vous...” that got the little ditty war machine rolling endlessly in my head...I might have to wake up Obiwan...he can drown out anything...but I can’t SHUT HIM UP, either...damn...just...damn...
99 dead birds on the wall, 99 dead birds...
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