CONSIDER the following:
In making the decision to go to war, the government did not consider the whole range of options, including that of continuing the policy of ‘containment,’ or combining political and diplomatic moves with military strikes below the ‘escalation level,’ or military preparations without immediate military action — so as to maintain the full range of responses ... . This failure reflects weakness in strategic thinking.
Does it sound familiar? No, it’s not a statement from the congressional leadership or a quotation from a liberal blog. In fact, it’s not about the United States government’s adventure in Iraq at all.
The quote is from the preliminary report of Israel’s Winograd Commission. The group was formed by the Israeli government to find out what went so terribly wrong in that country’s recent attack on Lebanon.
The conclusion so far is that Ehud Olmert and his government acted stupidly is rushing into Lebanon without a plan or a clear idea of what Israel might gain from the adventure.
Before the report came out, Olmert’s approval ratings were even worse than George W. Bush’s. After the report came out, more than 100,000 Israelis took to the streets to demand his removal from office.
So far, Bush has not drawn such a crowd, but he is haunted by his own report. Last year, the Iraq Study Group, a bipartisan group appointed by Congress when Congress was still Republican, made its recommendations on salvaging the debacle in Iraq. The primary recommendation was that the Bush administration change its thinking and its ways:
In this report, we make a number of recommendations for actions to be taken in Iraq, the United States, and the region. Our most important recommendations call for new and enhanced diplomatic and political efforts in Iraq and the region, and a change in the primary mission of U.S. forces in Iraq that will enable the United States to begin to move its combat forces out of Iraq responsibly. We believe that these two recommendations are equally important and reinforce one another.
Bush paid lip service to the wisdom of the commission, then proceeded to ignore its findings. The president does not seem capable of thinking beyond the original reasons, since disproved — WMDs, an al-Qaida link — that he cited when he sent troops storming into Iraq in the first place.
Like Olmert, Bush thinks he knew — and still knows — how to wage war far better than the experts, diplomats and soldiers. Any real change in U.S. policy in Iraq would be an admission that Bush was wrong to begin with. And Bush will never make that admission.
To the president, that would be a sign of weakness.
But as the Winograd report indicates, the weakness to fear in times like these is not doubt or disagreement, but the weakness of mind that requires soldiers to continue to die to protect the reputations of politicians who have made a terrible mistake.
shoehorn (anonymous) says...
Diplomacy with those who intentionally kill innocent civillans? Diplomats know how to wage war? I believe the experts, the soldiers who are actually on the ground there say we are going in the right direction.
May 8, 2007 at 8:30 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
ChuckNorris (anonymous) says...
I am a soldier, and I read this paper everyday on the internet, maybe because I'm from Emporia. I am currently in Iraq and to be honest with you, weakness is not making a bad decision and sticking it out. Weakness is sitting on your couch knowing that you never had the gumption to be here in the first place. We know people are dieing here, but we all volunteered to be here and that’s all there is to that. We can't leave and we won’t leave until we are done, but you stay happy knowing that there are people like me and my friends who are willing to die so you don't have to ever make a sacrifice. You just stay comfy at home and don't worry we will handle this, if your not here fighting or supporting us then we don't care what your opinion is. Perhaps you should think of that.
May 9, 2007 at 12:44 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
MelissaE (anonymous) says...
LMAO, ChuckNorris. Remember, most who post here think that other posters have never served their own country. I wish they would wake up.
I feel for ya. My husband is going through the same thing.
Melissa
May 9, 2007 at 1:29 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
CAFEmporia (anonymous) says...
ChuckNorris, we do think of "that". And many of us have served, too, and during unpopular wars, which puts an edge on our thinking about what is happening now.
Mr Kelly's editorial is very correct. The majority of us do believe that going into Iraq was a mistake, that it distracts from the real war on terrorists, and that to salvage what we can requires a much more drastic change of strategy than simply "surging" with more troops who have not had time to recover from their last tour of duty.
Diplomats and politicians start wars when they fail at their jobs. Soldiers fight those wars and gain honor among us by doing so. We, through our politicians, usually end wars since the kinds of wars we fight today seem to have no clearcut ending otherwise. It is then up to others to win the peace and this, we fear, is what we are currently losing. We, the People, wonder if we should not now begin an ending to this war and begin finding a peace.
Saddam was a piece of junk, to be sure, and I'm glad he's gone. Since we arrived there, though, more than 3 million Iraqi civilians have been killed or left the country. The number of wounded is simply unfathomable. I don't think we can justify staying by saying we are doing anyone any good. Sadly, we botched it early on and it is now a problem solvable only by them.
May 16, 2007 at 9:15 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
ChuckNorris (anonymous) says...
If leave they'll be dead. I work with them everyday, and they always enjoy us. When we leave, they're on their own and it would not be right to do that now. In essence it would be like taking and abused child away from his or her parents for a little while, then when they just get comfortable sending them home to fend for themselves.
June 6, 2007 at 7:04 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
open_eyes (anonymous) says...
To ChuckNorris: I completely agree with your last statement, my best wishes & prayers for your continued safety and success.
June 6, 2007 at 10:19 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )