William S. Lind: What Is To Be Done?

Free Congress Foundation ^ | 8/25/03 | William Lind

[JohnGalt]

young men and young women...I am sure just an oversite on your part.

[JohnGalt]

The D's already moved to the (I guess) Right (though I would say Left since Nation Building is a leftwing goal) of Bush on Iraq. Dean, Kerry, and Clark are all clamouring for more money to be spent on rebuilding Iraq.

The question is, does Bush become the Bring the Boys Back Home candidate and dare the Vichycons to jump ship, or does he try to out spend the Ds on rebuilding Iraq?

[caltrop]

Continued involvement in the religious/ethnic quarrels in the Middle East only increases the liklihood of extending the violence to the US. Absent oil, the Middle East isn't worth an American sprained ankle. They need to sell oil to eat. I don't care which thug sells it.

[martianagent]

The most important thing we should do is set a date certain for leaving Iraq and make it soon. Given the time it will take to get all our troops and stuff out, we might move that to December 25. That way, it would be a Christmas present to our soldiers and to the people of Iraq as well.

Sorry, but that's idiotic. We've simply put too much into this one to pull out prematurely. It's probably the case that the Iraqis will be able to govern themselves reasonably within a year or a year and a half, but wanting to set some sort of a date for the kinds of reasons given is simply living in the same kind of fantasy world as the communists used to live in with their various five-year plans and what not.

[JohnGalt]

That is plainly specious logic considering you rational is an unending commitment of troops and resources in the area with a high probability of failure, and the assured deaths of American soldiers and squandered resources that could be used elsewhere.

"We've simply put too much..."

This is the logic of welfare state liberals always crying for more money to end this war or that war, be it poverty or farming.

[Britton J Wingfield]

Send more troops. Call up reservists.

Leaving now will signal to islamofascists that the US has no resolve, and thus attacking her is a good idea. It will make us a bigger target.

Like it or not, the military exists to stand between the bad guys and the folks back home. We can fight this over there, or on our own streets. I vote for 'over there.'

[Britton J Wingfield]

NAVY: Never Again Volunteer Yourself :)

[dennisw]

Absent oil, the Middle East isn't worth an American sprained ankle. They need to sell oil to eat. I don't care which thug sells it..............

SIGH! If only the world so simple. But it's not. If we're not there Russia and China will be. How would you like a $15 per barrel surcharge on all Mid East oil sold to the USA? With China being the guarantor and enforcer? Or make it Russia in cahoots with the mad mullahs of Iran?

[caltrop]

Beyond the fact oil is a commodity, I'd cheerfully sell anybody in the Middle East any US military equipment they needed to fight among themselves and keep anybody else out of the region. Assuming we did, the chance, on either count, that your scenario might play out is zero.

[gaspar]

Sorry Clymer. I spent two and a quarter years in Nam. Quang Tri, Quang Tin, Danang, Saigon, Binh Dinh. I have also spent six years in the Middle East. If we can win this war there is the possibility of a political seachange from Morocco to Tehran, and Baghdad could challenge Cairo for the nexus of the Arab World. It is the region's most important moment since June 6, 1967 -- oh, yeah, I was there too.

[gaspar]

Putting women on the front line has been the battle cry of the radical feminists and the leftist elements in Congress. But, what the hay, why should you care? It isn't your butt at risk.

[JohnGalt]

So you absolve yourself from guilt?

How honorable.

The 'Might Makes Right' crowd are neither conservative or Christian, but I left out that Christian piece from my first post.

[caltrop]

It's a pity that, with all that experience, you still can't wake up and smell the coffee. We're looking at a loss, not a win and wishing won't change that.

[Poohbah]

In fact, to make the punishment fit the crime, we ought to round up every neocon in Washington and make them all "Special Representatives" to Iraq, with orders to get on the next plane to Baghdad and only come back on the last plane out. Then, we should forget to send that last plane.

I guess the lives of Americans who disagree with him don't matter.

When they get frustrated when America doesn't conform to their wishes, ideologues like Lind generally start thinking that Pol Pot had the right idea.

[hchutch]

"William S. Lind is Director of the Center for Cultural Conservatism at the Free Congress Foundation."

Does this guy have any military background at all? Or is he just some keyboard commando?

[Poohbah]

He's a "strategist." That means he sits there and pontificates at you, annoying the heck out of most folks who have actually been-there-done-that. He had a particular penchant for annoying the Marine Corps, who didn't appreciate his idea of "help."

He was apparently a friend of Boyd's...but I don't give Boyd infallibility, and some of Boyd's civilian "acolytes" have struck me as resembling Cassius in Julius Caesar--having what the bard called "a lean and hungry look."

He was also a congressional staffer.

I have NEVER seen him claim any military service.

[XJarhead]

The crux of the argument is that conservatives should support a withdrawl date.

The concept of a withdrawal date isn't bad. But he hasn't linked it to any operational, military, or political considerations, which makes it a bad idea. And that's because he appears to consider those factors unimportant. To him, the only relevant factor is getting out. I'd have had more respect for his opinion had he found some operational date or event as the trigger. Such as -- schedule elections for December 1, withdrawal by January 1. But that seems irrelevant to him, which surprises me.

Do you support nation building?

That's an undefined term, so I can't answer. I do not believe that we should hang around and turn Iraq into a fully-functioning, stable, modern democracy. I do believe that we should stay until there is enough of an elected Iraqi government in place so that we could turn over authority legitimately. If it collapses later, that's their problem, not ours. But under the terms of treaties that we signed, we cannot simply drop the ball and run.

I participated in a discussion with Bill back in the 1980's regarding Marine Corps doctrine. I didn't agree with him completely, but he had some very good ideas. Unfortunately, they seemed wedded to an overly large ego. I see shades of that in his vituperative condemnation of "neocons".

[El Gato]

How 'bout to serve as targets for terrorists?

It would help if the Army would take a lesson from the Marines, and make sure all it's troops were visibly armed to the teeth. That includes crew served or vehicle mounted weapons to accompany logistics convoys. Very few, if any, terrorist types have attacked the Marines.

Still a target rich environment could be considered a good thing, as long as the "bait" is also quite well armed.

Similar events occurred during the early days of the occupatin of Germany after WW-II. The groups doing the killing then were known as "Werewolves" (Lots of ex Hitler Youth and left over thugs from the Chief thug's rise to power) , now they are "Saddam Fedyeen" and "Al Qaida"

[gaspar]

It is a pity that, with all your pontificating, you still can't wake up and put out that doobie burning in the ashtray. If we're looking at a loss, as you suggest, this nation will begin a swift, sharp slide to oblivion. Forget Viet Nam; for those who dwell on it the conflict, invariably and tragically, served as the highpoint in their lives. Don't give yourself away that easily.

This is indeed a brave new world and a new millenium and this time the USA is threatened by a new "ism" -- Islamism. It must be neutralized, and the cost will be as high and as enduring as the Cold War. Bank on it.

[gaspar]

Well, I just feel so guilty that I guess I'll just have to continue to praise the Lord and pass the ammunition.