[Congressman Billybob]

Stopped to watch UCLA win a football game. Couldn't stop thinking about politics. So, here's the latest, that I think y'all will enjoy.

Here's a link to "Art of War;" http://www.chinavista.com/experience/warart/warframe.html

John / Billybob

[Cruz]

Lol, excellent post!

[smoothsailing]

By their own choice of prior tactics, the Democrats are in the weakest possible position to complain about the release of secret infomation to the media.

Thanks for the article, John. Well done!

STRATEGERY !!!

[hershey]

Excellent column.

[El Gato]

But it is not the objective of any competent President to maintain high poll numbers. It is to accomplish his set purposes.

Most especially a second term President. What does he care about poll numbers. He cares about long term results.

[Albion Wilde]

For a time, President Bush “looked” weak. Now the Democrats are hoist by their own petard. What does Sun Tzu say about that? “Pretend to be weak in order to make the enemy arrogant or haughty.” On this issue, as on many before, the Democrats have worked themselves into a losing position, by underestimating Bush. He has used their tendency to attack, all times and all fronts, against them

I remember one of Muhammed Ali's final championship fights. He was old, he looked slow, and he stood there while his arrogant opponent danced around and punched him over and over, and took a terrible pounding for many agonizing minutes. Then out of the blue, BAM!!! He landed a knockout blow and won the fight.

[DugwayDuke]

"Opportunities for deception in football are limited."

Just as in warfare, some coaches and teams rely more on speed or power than upon deception. Some teams try to combine these factors. Think about a good wishbone quarterback coming down the line working the triple option. I think Sun would approve.

"There is a second, overwhelming difference between football and warfare. In football, every play is designed to defeat the plans of the opponent."

I wouldn't go to far with this analogy without first defining 'defeat the plans of the enemy'. Not every play in football is designed to produce a touchdown or to win the game.

[metesky]

Nice analogy...

And if it's any consolation it sounds like you did your job. IIRC, the defensive end and the linebacker have the pitchman so they at least share the blame responsibility.

[Ohioan from Florida]

Thanks, CBB! Loved your perspective!

[Iris7]

Thanks for your essay.

I have spent decades studying the Viet Nam war (now so long ago). Went from Plato to Thucydides, Machiavelli to Delbrük. Von Künellt-Leddihn opened the blinders a bit. What really hit like a ton of bricks was Sam Griffith's translation of Sun Tsu's Art of War. Understanding came in wave upon wave.

Acting as if war is like playing football is folly. I enjoyed playing football immensely in my day, don't get me wrong, but football is all out in the open and not at all serious.

[RoadTest]

"set one party against another within the enemy if they are united"

Has someone(s) done this in the U.S.A.?

[Mia T]

Excellent bump!

WAR AND TREASON AND THE NEW YORK TIMES

by Mia T, December 29, 2005

 

 

inch Sulzberger scurried to the C-SPAN confessional even as the fires raged under the mammoth heap of ash and twisted steel that was once the Twin Towers and 2801 human beings. He had to make certain no one would blame The New York Times....



COMPLETE ARTICLE WITH FOOTNOTES

[I_be_tc]

bump 4 later

[conservatism_IS_compassion]

Most of the leading Democrats are clamoring for “a plan for victory in Iraq.” Here’s the 2,000-year-old answer: “It is never possible to formulate a fixed plan beforehand.”

Modern American formulation: "No plan survives contact with the enemy."

Have we not yearned for Bush to say something like,

"It is enough for enemies meddling in Iraq to know that we have the personnel, the equipment and the commitment in place, and our help will enable the Iraqi people to win security within their own country. Publishing an overly detailed plan would be futile, and would unnecessarily give the enemy opportunities to win cheap political victories which would only delay, but not change, that outcome. I cannot predict how long it will take for the enemies to decide that further disruption of that process is no longer worth the candle.

But we will adapt to the enemies' tactics as necessary. And together we, and ultimately the purple-fingered Iraqi people, will disillusion all enemies of the Iraqi people of any hope of reestablishing tyranny in Iraq."

America expects a friendly government to emerge in Iraq for the simple reason that America expects to be a valuable ally to the democratic republic which emerges from Iraq's political process. But America has no illusions that a democratic Iraq will be a puppet of the US government any more than, say, Turkey is. We are establishing the conditions for Iraqis to pursue happiness. That is a major undertaking, which has so far cost two thousand treasured American lives. And that - together with the territorial integrity of Iraq which is essential to peace in the region - is the limit of our ambition in Iraq."

[George Smiley]

Here’s the 2,000-year-old answer: “It is never possible to formulate a fixed plan beforehand.”

"A battle plan never survives first contact with the enemy."

Von Moltke