Comments on: War, Punditry, and Farming

By: 3Case

3Case — Sun, 29 Oct 2006 15:17:47 +0000

I LOVE the “Metrosexual Mob” header. They are “men without spines”. It fascinates (and disgusts) me that these males, who proudly profess sensitivity and support for women, will run so readily from the jihadis, who openly profess the violent subjugation of women.

I remember an exercise at The Basic School. The tactics instructor turns to the class and asks “For how long is your order (to your unit for an operation of any sort) good?” There followed 5 minutes of discussion with various times put forward by the Lieutenants. The instructor then asks, “Would you like the answer?” to much nodding. “Until you cross the LoD (line of departure)…after that everything starts changing, which is why it’s your job to supervise.”

I believe that the the current “war is like an ATM” mindset is nothing more than a 21st Century cousin of the Robert McNamara/Best and Brightest/”we can run a war from a spreadsheet” mindset that condemned so many to death and misery in Southeast Asia. Come to think if it, that crowd was probably the first group of metrosexuals in America, anyway.

By: John in Cincinnati

John in Cincinnati — Sun, 29 Oct 2006 12:11:13 +0000

I found a lecture by Dr Hanson online, given between nine-eleven and the start of the Iraq invasion, wherein he said that the way a war is won is by completely smashing the enemy and then showing generosity afterward; that a war that doesn’t let the vanquished know that they’ve been defeated is dangerous. Is this part of the cause of our current problems in Iraq?

Also, Dr Hanson has told NPR a couple of times that he is a Democrat. I would be interested to read where he would still side with Democrats againsts parts of the Republican ideology.

By: James Stephenson

James Stephenson — Sun, 29 Oct 2006 11:53:59 +0000

The reason why the threat of Taiwan getting nukes will work is because China wants Taiwan back and will not be able to take the island once they have Nuclear weapons.

By: Jnorr

Jnorr — Sun, 29 Oct 2006 07:13:09 +0000

You bring up great points regarding the war and the fickle nature of some past pro war pundits. I have been questioning this for awhile. If you believed from the start that putting a democracy in Iraq would drain the swamp, what has changed for you?

By: ArsSineArtificio

ArsSineArtificio — Sun, 29 Oct 2006 06:56:32 +0000

HerrMorgenholz:

Well, in WW2 we didn’t really achieve the original objective – freeing Poland :-)

Nevertheless, in all respects your comment is absolutely right. This war is for all the marbles. However, too many who are supposed to be on our side either don’t believe the stakes, don’t believe that there’s a war on at all, or despise the marbles themselves.

By: Rob Mandel

Rob Mandel — Sat, 28 Oct 2006 20:11:20 +0000

I believe our present problems in the WoT are that the Islamc world has never faced true, utter, total, defeat. Like the Carthaginians at the end of the 1st Punic War (and perhaps the 2nd) and the Germans at the end of WW1 (re: Professor Kagan’s masteriece), defeat was not catastrophic. Thus, they could regroup, rearm, and retry. In fact, it was not long before whether they were even defeated at all was the consensus.

For all the losses the Arab world suffered at the hands of the Israelis, they were never defeated. Israel never occupied Damascus, Amman, or Cairo. Likewise, they have never had a Dresden or Tenochtitlan.

Wars only achieve objectives when the defeated truly are defeated, and left with no other option. Just as Scipio could dictate terms, so too could Eisenhower. We have not the will currently to do such. That is our greatest failing in this current conflict. I truly doubt whether Truman or FDR would care about offending the sensibilities of our enemies, or their co-religionists. They’d have done what was necessary and sorted out the pieces post facto.

Fiskleness in war is nothing new. One need only read of the general discontent for Lincoln in 1864, or even the congressional inquiries after Tarawa. Even worse, debate about the true enemy is nothing new as well, as Demosthenes (or Churchill) could well attest.

I’m of course a long time fan of Professor Hanson and believe him to be a national resource. I’ve even used his essays in my high school history classes. Really, I have. What amazes me most about our current troubles is not what we’ve done, but rather what we haven’t, referencing of course Carnage and Culture.

This is, I believe, truly the Arab world’s last best chance. For should we get half a mind to do so, we could end this whole mess in about 6 hours. But the results would be rather unattractive.

By: Morgan C

Morgan C — Sat, 28 Oct 2006 19:23:51 +0000

Petrit, if Tokyo, Seoul, and Taipei ALREADY had nukes, then Beijing would not pressure Pyongyang. But they don’t already have nukes, merely a new incentive to get them. Beijing’s motivation now is to avoid the nuclearization of their neighborhood.

By: Bob Snider Framingham, Ma.

Bob Snider Framingham, Ma. — Sat, 28 Oct 2006 19:01:22 +0000

Dear Victor: I see a comment that contains the dumbest lie of all time; “War never solved anything!” I do not have the time to list all of the critical, historical events decided not only by war but by one battle. For those of you who have not read Victor’s Carnage and Culture I recommend it highly. Second, Mitt Romney is a superb administrator and a first class intellect. He may be hurt badly by the problems of the Big Dig.

By: John McDermott

John McDermott — Sat, 28 Oct 2006 18:01:28 +0000

President Bush mentioned one specific reason why bilateral talks with North Korea were such a bad idea the other day during his informal chat with conservative columnists in the Oval office. He said if we go it alone, the U.S. would be totally responsible for the resulting consequences. I think he was saying it was a no- win situation, because if anything went wrong, the other concerned nations would float a disclaimer , and blame the good old U.S. again.

By: J. Black

J. Black — Sat, 28 Oct 2006 16:37:40 +0000

When Romney denied state security and escort to Khatami during his Harvard visit, I was impressed.

I’m glad to hear Victor’s assessment; we will have at least on one presidential candidate who is presidential. He will make HRC look like a teeny bopper.