Mea culpa: in Feb '91, I thought that Bush Sr. did the Right Thing in stopping the war when he did. At the time I thought "A-HA! We've fought a dandy little war: we set an objective, deployed our forces to achieve it, and now we can declare victory and go home."
I, and millions like me, were wrong. I am slowly coming to the conclusion that the only way to achieve victory in modern war is to attain the unconditional surrender of the foe. We made the mistake in WWI of thinking a negotiated surrender would bring peace. Instead, it allowed the Germans to rearm and militarize, under a more toxic regime than that of the Kaiser. In the case of Iraq, we thought (again) that treaties could achieve our objectives. We have now learned, to our horror, what Poland learned in 1939. Contrast those wars with the cold war. In the cold war, our adversary simply disintegrated. Our victory could not have been more complete.
There is no substitute for victory. Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, et al must be either put to the sword, or overthrown from within, and replaced with representative governments that have free markets, the rule of law, civil liberties, and respect for the individual. A tall order ... but so was defeating Japan and Germany simultaneously.
Let's Roll.
There is no substitute for victory. Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, et al must be either put to the sword, or overthrown from within, and replaced with representative governments that have free markets, the rule of law, civil liberties, and respect for the individual. A tall order ... but so was defeating Japan and Germany simultaneously.
A Notable Quotable.