Troops rate ISG report

I hope Rowan Scarborough doesn’t mind me using quotes from his article in the Washington Times today to illustrate what I said yesterday;

“What we’re not winning is the nation building,” said retired Marine Lt. Gen. Michael DeLong, the deputy commander of U.S. Central Command when the U.S.-led coalition toppled Saddam Hussein. “The troops know exactly what they’re doing and they know basically that in 14 out of 18 provinces, that they are winning the war on the ground.”

That’s exactly right. Since the jihadists have been largely unsuccesful in killing American troops in large numbers, they’ve switched to killing civilians since it’s too expensive manpower- and ordinance-wise to directly engage US warriors.

“If you are in a small unit in Iraq, you are so tied to your buddies right next to you and the next mission and getting it right and trying to survive that you don’t have time to think of grand strategy,” the retired lieutenant colonel [Charles Krohn] said. 

Troops have little time to think about what politicians say. Politicians are in the business of talking, warriors are in the business of doing.

“From what I have seen, they are a lot of white-haired politicos with zero military knowledge and experience,” said the soldier, who asked not to be named. “I hope that it will be politely shelved and Bush will rely on those that have some idea what they are talking about. The only effect this will have on the troops, assuming that it’s ignored, is a slight dip in morale.” 

That’s the whole problem with Democrats from the git-go. Since Truman, Democrats have tried to politicize combat and dictate to warriors how to fight their wars. Since Tzun Tsu, every military philosopher and historian has warned against politicians getting in the way of warriors who are at the bayonet point of foreign policy. It lost the ’52 the ’68 and the 80 election for Democrats and they’ll lose their chances in ’08, too, as long as they think they fight our wars for us.

    

Category: Terror War