Good article. After Tet of 68 and the loss of support back home and in congress, I went back to Vietnam for a second tour. Of course it was voluntary for me but it was as if I had gone to a different war in a different country. If I could describe the impression I had I would, but in a few words the overall attitude, even among the officers and senior NCOs, was, "Don't do anything to get others or yourself killed - it's over!"
I can almost feel the tension at the highest levels of The Pentagon after these last two days. I believe the administration needs to be looking for a different tactical and strategic direction. If it doesn't do this, the Republicans can probably kiss at least one house of congress goodbye in 06 and probably the White House in 08.
Zarqawi has simply shifted his focus from killing Iraqis to start a civil war to killing US troops. He will shift to killing Iraqis again in September before the Constitutional Convention and post October before the next election. The next two elections if they go well will change the entire formula in Iraq and the Sunnis will have popular leaders who will get rid of the jihadists themselves. If the elections fail and the Sunnis don't vote, then we are in trouble.
I second that.
We can't keep doing the same thing and expect different results.
The military in Iraq must be given free reins to device creative solutions, since the Pentagon leadership in Washington lacks any successful ideas.
If I get a chance to meet President Bush in a fundraiser this year, I will personally tell him just one thing: Meet with a few junior officers from Iraq and have a few candid conversations on how to turn around the Iraqi situation.
I agree. First off, cell phones in Iraq need to be outlawed. Cell phones are helping to organize this insurgency as sure as I'm sitting here. During the Saddam era, cell phones weren't allowed, we came in and thought giving everybody a cellphone and a lamb in their pot would make everything simpatico-- clearly that was misguided. We need to crack down!!!
I want bombing. I want the bad guys to feel pain for a change.