it just isn't going to look like the one the architects of this war envisioned at the start.
Ahh, there's the rub, Horatio. The original plan was deeply flawed.
Being old enough to remember when Vietnam was not just a question on high school history tests, I recall that at the time that DDE and JFK made the top level decisions that got us involved in that particular morass, there were no native speakers and precious few people who had any notion about Vietnamese history. And they were not consulted. Those decisions were predicated on A.} helping the French out after Dienbienphu so they would support NATO and B.} suppressing perceived threats from the Soviet Union and China. NO consideration was given to the country or the people of Vietnam themselves. One of the popular sayings in that country is "When the elephants fight, the grass gets trampled." and they understand which they are in that metaphor. 56,000 soldiers died, the country was torn apart and billions in national treasure were pissed away in the name of gaining a diplomatic advantage and ideology.
Once again, ideology is the predominate factor in the pre Iraq war plans. But this time, instead of the Domino Theory, it is the notion that exporting democracy will somehow bring the islamic world to its senses and make its people want to be just like us. There was even some idiot on the team who offered the statement that there was no history of sectarian violence between the Sunnis, the Shi'ites and the Kurds. THAT may go down in history as one of the stupidest political statements ever rendered.
We had our collective national rose colored glasses on from the start. Wildly cheering Iraqis would welcome us with open arms. There would be dancing in the streets (no doubt led by Martha and the Vandellas) and our soldiers would be treated as heroes. What pains me is that these visions were pedaled to the American public by officials at the highest levels of government, including the Ovoid Office.
It seems to me it was intuitively obvious to the most casual observer that these pie in the sky pronouncements were a bunch of hooey and a piss poor basis for committing American soldiers. Several top military leaders said so and were dismissed from the service for having the audacity to oppose our Dear Leader.
Military leaders work damned hard to mimimize casualties and protect our troops. Unfortunately, our leaders have thrown our soldiers into a situation that puts them at substantial risk without the plans or materiel necessary to offer a reasonable chance of a successful mission. That, to me, is irresponsible and borders on criminal negligence.
Support our troops? Yes, I most definitely do. I support their right not to die for an illusion.
Being of Irish heritage, I have a storehouse of knowledge about my native country, which is probably the ONLY country on earth to be overrun by outsiders as often as the people of Vietnam. The Irish have been "visited" by every single political power in European history. One could draw some conclusions about the imposition of political control by external forces from studying Irish history. The record isn't all that good and should give pause to anyone who feels like bringing "enlightenment" to people in another land. Our leaders, though, are not guided by the observable history of mankind or by thoughtful consideration of the likely consequences of their actions. They are guided by a deep, abiding belief that they are right and the whole of prior human experience is wrong. What a paltry excuse for sending American soldiers to be killed and maimed.:spank3:
In fact, to the casual observer, the entire focus on Iraq, where alQueda is NOT, instead of Afghanistan, where the crazies ARE, can only be described as indicative of mental illness at the highest levels. If I came over to your house and told you God told me to come visit, you would put out a call for the boys who drive the Disoriented Express. When our LEADERS tell us that they are sending American troops someplace because God said it was the right thing to do, we stand up and cheer. I find that odd.
