American Power Moves Beyond the Mere Super

New York Times ^ | April 27, 2003 | GREGG EASTERBROOK

[judgeandjury]

I signed up to kill Communists, Ba'athist & Co., not to chase pimps and coyotes around the countryside of the American Southwest. Force me to do that job and you probably won't like the way I do it. Wait till a squad of soldiers tracks an illegal into an American border town, sees the guy run into a cul-de-sac, and then goes house-to-house smashing peoples' windows in and breaking down doors, then running into people's bedrooms and checking their walk-in closets trying to find the illegal. Now that would be great for civil-military relations!

What are you, a programmed robot? As a member of the military, you are trained to obey and follow orders. If your commanding officer tells you NOT to go house-to-house smashing peoples' windows in and breaking down doors, then running into people's bedrooms and checking their walk-in closets trying to find the illegal alien, then you don't do it, unless you want to face charges of insubordination.

[Guillermo]

While the Clinton's and Albright's of this world bemoan the fact that we are the only 'superpower'...

[johnb838]

Oh, I think we could take a break and pat ourselves on the back............. There, that was refreshing. Now back to work.

As far as the Foreman thing... that goes back to an ancient sport called Bear Baiting in which a pack of dogs would fight a bear. The bear would usually kill several of the dogs but eventually a nip here, a bite there and the bear would start to weaken. For this to happen to us would require the rest of the world to gang up on us, a common liberal bete noir. Fortunately, the rest of the world seems to hate each other even more than they hate us. ]

And finally... Did anybody hear General Tommy Franks, in the interview he gave to Tony Snow, say regarding the Syrians "I think any nation that wants to control its borders can do so"? I thought it was a little shot at our policy here at home, but never saw it reported that way.

[johnb838]

I don't see how we could ever conquer AND occupy the world. It seems like logistics and politics have always mitigated against the possibility of this except in the fevered minds of evil demagogues.

[fourdeuce82d]

Give the land element Fast Lightly Armored all terrain vehicles (Bradleys)

liked most of your post but the above- brads, although not tanks, are not really "light" armor- they weigh 25 tons, and are fairly costly to operate, compared too- tadaa: the upgraded M113 Gavin!

Reliable, armored "enough", much lighter, much less exepensive, new suspension/engine damn equals Brad cross country ability...plus, crotchety old viet nam vets could maintain and operate them.

(there would be a "WhenI" procductivity hit- i.e. young bucks having to listen to the VN vets preface every conversation with "When I was in viet nam...*grin*)

[johnb838]

"victory disease?"

The Clap? Ooops, watching Sex in the Civil War. ;)

[lawdude]

"Tommy Daschle is deeply saddened."

Has anyone noticed the total lack of tommie d. on the tube lately. His silence is saddening....

NOT

[johnb838]

Maybe he's in that box marked USA?

[LocalYokel]

Control the southern border?

Let's go with what's worked in the past.

Texas Rangers. More of 'em. Lot's more.

[mathurine]

Pre-empt the Chinese and NK's demise is very easy to war-game and not much more difficult to accomplish. The preemption of the Chinese might just happen of its own accord. We are a 40 billion dollar trading partner, whereas the North Koreans are just a pain in the butt to them.

[mathurine]

Pre-empt the Chinese and NK's demise is very easy to war-game and not much more difficult to accomplish. The preemption of the Chinese might just happen of its own accord. We are a 40 billion dollar trading partner, whereas the North Koreans are just a pain in the butt to them.

[SamAdams76]

Imagine if we had these capabilities during World War Two. We would have defeated Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan in about a week or so.

[SamAdams76]

Actually I think we should cut social programs and double our military budget. After all, the elimination of the Saddam Hussein regime was a far better use of taxpayer money than giving a bunch of layabouts money to buy malt liquor and cigarettes.

I will not feel comfortable until the United States has 20 super-carrier groups, 10,000 fighter jets, 30,000 tanks and an inventory of 500,000 smart bombs and cruise missiles. Also, we need to eliminate the nuclear capability of all nations that are not our staunchest allies. The only nations I feel comfortable having nuclear capability (besides the U.S.) are England, Israel, Australia, Japan and maybe, just maybe, India.

[fourdeuce82d]

What are you, a programmed robot?

I understand your post, but that's a little harsh. The guy made a valid point- combat troops are trained one way, law enforcement folks another.

While we should expect infantry types to obey orders, I suspect they would be prone to "imaginative" interpretations of their orders.

This is in no way a slam at the guys who shot up the civilian vehicles in Iraq- they were in a war zone, they had seen/heard of their fellow troops getting attacked by fighters in mufti, and if I had been there I guess I probably would have done the same thing- if I wasn't too busy crying and wetting myself.

I wouldn't want them manning DUI checkpoints.

I'm not suggesting combat soldiers/marines are rabid, foaming-at-the-mouth beasts. I wasn't when I was in, and I don't think the current crop is either.

The training and acculturation of combat troops emphasizes a set of "conflict resolution techniques" that are not appropriate for the civilian environment.

I want our grunts to keep that "mean" edge...and leave LEO stuff to LEO types.

[Filibuster_60]

The future threat is asymmetric, pure and simple.

Fortunately, rogue states don't have the resources to mount effective asymmetric measures. The best they can do is get a few nukes so they'll make us think twice about invading them.

[Filibuster_60]

I think it is StarWars. The Times, the dems, and all America-haters know that, once we have a missle shield, we are truly the super power.

NMD would make us a lot safer from the likes of NK, but the only way it would really hurt the Chinese (like the Soviets before them) is if they tried to match it, which they clearly won't try. They'll simply build more ICBMs, fit them with MIRVs, and work on countermeasures.

[Filibuster_60]

North Korea now stares into the barrel of the strongest military ever assembled, and yet may be able to defy the United States, owing to nuclear deterrence. As the global arms race ends with the United States so far ahead no other nation even tries to be America's rival, the result may be a world in which Washington has historically unparalleled power, but often cannot use it.

NK has learned a lesson from Iraq, but it's not the lesson we hoped to teach it. In their view, Iraq was attacked exactly because it had too little WMD capability and had staked its reputation on having no WMD at all. That's why NK acts differently: They're totally upfront about their nuclear capabilities (even bluffing when necessary) and won't repent for anything. As a result, not only have they forced us to talk to them, they're making us do it largely on their terms.

[nicollo]

All the hate-America types around the world (including those in the United States) ought to stop their rantings long enough to thank their lucky stars that it is America, and not some evil regime such as the Soviet Union, that wields this awesome dominence of power.

The point is that they did not and cannot create it. It comes of the American genius, its political system, equality, liberty, and reverance for the individual. While other nations, now and in history, have built and used power, America alone did so in self defense.

[Happy2BMe]

It's the soldier not the reporter who gives you the freedom of the press.

It's the soldier not the poet who gives you the freedom of speech.

It's the soldier not the campus organizer who allows you to demonstrate.

It's the soldier who salutes the flag, serves the flag, whose coffin is draped with the flag that allows the protester to burn the flag!!!