Thank you for the response to my blog. I do value very much other people’s point of view.
The Weinberger Doctrine in a perfect world,has only been swayed by it’s own theory of when to fight, for what purpose, and by ones own natural quest for greed. What with nuclear arms and a third world war, than can be no real victor. Only victims.
Unfortunately the past eight years of an impudent administration has gotten us into this Vietnam II. Although there are some that say Iraq is a success and now the Iraqi people can go it alone, only time will tell. Supposedly our “interests” there are safe for now. It’s comforting to think we are the good guys, but black gold would seem to query myself was Democracy the true meaning behind this mission?
Afghanistan after 911 was our real mission in the beginning. It wasn’t about land, minerals, cheap labor, but because we had a duty to find and destroy the admitted architect behind this abominable attack on our country. I ask myself again what happened to that mission?
The Afghan war as it is now, not President Obama’s war, but mearly an extension of which Mr. Bush should have finished while the Taleban were defeated and kept up our surge while in power. The victims and remaining families of the 911 attack felt shrugged and abandoned when he moved his war to Iraq for questionable purposes.
Quite personally my opinion of the Iraqi people are that of cowardice, and I have very little empathy towards them or their countries future. Had it not been for their oil and our insatiable need for it, we would never have gone any further than the first Gulf War under Bush senior.
I am a Vietnam veteran having served with the third Marine Division, 1st Battalion, fourth Marine Regiment Delta Company from October 1967 through June of 1968. I have seen the worst of war and injured severely from it. I’ve experienced the futility in war having been restrained only by political micro managment clear up to the White House. When Iraq started, I could see only another re-run of the Vietnam conflict.
These kinds of conflicts I believe we are destined to repeat . There is fortunes to be made in the business of war and the weapons we produce. We are a nation at war and even within our selves with no end or exit strategy to it.
I’m of the old war where men fight men as they have back through the dark ages. This just can’t continue to be like this any longer. We can create carnage and death much more effectively through technology, rather than having to build more black granite walls as a tribute to those that gave the ultimate sacrifice. Civilian casualties are the cost of war. Mistakes are sometimes made and more often than the people know, we lose our own people due to non-hostile fire. It’s war and there can be nothing like it. Trying to micro manage war will only prolong it with more death and destruction.

I twas not my intent to make this so lengthy. My apologies for that. I hope that from what I had to offer, I believe we are not in total disagreement of everything. My perspective may be somewhat slanted, but not too far off in the general idea of your blog and response.

Mike

I remain an unabashed proponent of the Weinberger Doctrine, which calls for committing American combat troops only as a last resort, when vital national interests are in question, when there are clear political and military objectives, when force levels are appropriate to the tasks, when the public and Congress support the effort, when there is a commitment to victory, and when there is an exit strategy.

I’d rather see an American withdrawal from Afghanistan rather than failed half-measures that cause significant loss of civilians and stretch our military to the breaking point with excessive tours of duty.

Your belief that techonology can substitute for troops in counterinsurgency is exactly how Don Rumsfeld waged the war in Iraq prior to the surge and we know the results.

This is President Obama’s war now and I am afraid he is going to learn that he can’t achieve his ambitious goals in Afghanistan with his current approach.

Jefferson

Leonard Bernstein’s music for “On the Waterfront” is titled “Symphonic Suite” and the last two tracks are #5 Allegro non troppo and #6 A Tempo.

The soundtrack is available through iTunes and other sources.

Jefferson