To a hammer everything is a nail.
To a politician everything is about the narrative.
the inability of Obama to see beyond his own hubris is one of the most defining characteristics of his presidency...
yet if you haven't noticed neither party, and certainly not Trump, has displayed a coherent strategy to attacking terrorist forces abroad without inflaming muslim passions here.
Well, I guess we might differ a bit on exactly what the hierarchy of importance is there or even if these things should necessarily be linked.
While I can see the importance of telling muslims here 'this isn't about you', I think there's been too much mincing around on the topic, and this latest statement is just another example of that.
Let the military experts come up with the plan and let the politicians sell it as best they are able without hobbling that plan.
Well the military experts pretty much didn't get it done in Iraq I Iraq II or Afghan
To a hammer everything is a nail.
To a politician everything is about the narrative.
the inability of Obama to see beyond his own hubris is one of the most defining characteristics of his presidency...
yet if you haven't noticed neither party, and certainly not Trump, has displayed a coherent strategy to attacking terrorist forces abroad without inflaming muslim passions here.
Well, I guess we might differ a bit on exactly what the hierarchy of importance is there or even if these things should necessarily be linked.
While I can see the importance of telling muslims here 'this isn't about you', I think there's been too much mincing around on the topic, and this latest statement is just another example of that.
Let the military experts come up with the plan and let the politicians sell it as best they are able without hobbling that plan.
The military plans haven't been working out so well. To be fair to the generals, imo neither Poppy nor W consulted them on overall strategy, and it would not have been appropriate anyway. But if Obama concluded there is no US military solution to terrorism perpetrated by deluded muslims, I think the evidence is on his side.
Syria is simply a debacle we never should have lurched into. However, Obama's strategy of letting the Muslims and Kurds fight Isis while we are more or less supportive does seem to be working. I have a difficult time making any rational argument of why THAT should be bugging muslims over here. Afghanistan is another matter though. He should not have gotten into nationbuilding.
I would say this a very real reason to fear Hillary, and her emails are not, but she's not saying she'll "bomb the shit out of them."
I don't know if the military plans haven't been working out so well because they have been bad plans put forth by the military or because they've been hobbled by political goals, at least under this president.
We can argue there isn't a military solution, and I'd probably agree with that in terms of no path to total 'victory', but we are going to be embroiled in this in a military capacity for the foreseeable future.
I'd rather have the military guys coming up with the optimal plan for the military aspects of this and the political narrative being secondary to that, than the other way around.
People will argue, of course, that these things are inextricably linked in that if we don't pay attention to the narrative or perception or whatever, that this only helps the terrorists, but while I see the truth in that, I'd think the military experts know this also and are capable of taking that into account.
bottom line, I think this administration has been too focused on the optics and or policy goals, which has led to micromanagement of the military in order to suit that goal, which is something some of his ex Secs of Defense have corroborated in rare criticisms of a sitting president.