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During Napoleon’s occupation of Egypt, a Muslim writer described his fascination and admiration for the French method of jurisprudence even during hostilities. According to historian Bernard Lewis, the writer compared French due process to the extremist Muslims who pretended to be warriors in a holy war but killed people and destroyed human beings for no other reason than to gratify their animal passions

That's great. What happened to Napoleon's army in Egypt? Oh that's right, his invasion was a failure and he was cut off by the British, an army which eventually surrendered to the British. That's exactly who I would take my historical notes from Colonel...

Now, who should we believe: a Lt. Colonel serving in Iraq, or an armchair retired conservative publisher? Hmm. Let me think for .0000001 nanoseconds. Okay, I'll go with the Colonel.

I'll go with Buckley. He has an understanding far beyond someone who is currently in Iraq and wants to believe in his cause.

That's great. What happened to Napoleon's army in Egypt? Oh that's right, his invasion was a failure and he was cut off by the British, an army which eventually surrendered to the British. That's exactly who I would take my historical notes from Colonel...

I think you have missed the point of the Colonel's historical allusion. It has nothing to do with the fate of Napoleon's army in Egypt (the strategic situations are not comparable). Rather, he is pointing out the contrast between the due process offered by the French and the murderous destructiveness of the extremist Muslims. Obviously, a similar contrast exists today between United States and our enemies.

So yes, you probably should take historical notes from the Colonel.

I'll go with Buckley. He has an understanding far beyond someone who is currently in Iraq and wants to believe in his cause.

Thus far, Mr. Buckley has yet to demonstrate his greater understanding of Iraq. I would wait to see what specific measures Mr. Buckley proposes (if any) before taking him seriously.

I'll stick with the people on the ground. They tend to know more about the facts in the theatre than someone three thousand miles away.