From: Ryan Gill (rmgill@mindspring.com)
Date: Fri Sep 10 2004 - 09:21:39 PDT
Nigel, just hit 'delete' please mate! ;-)
At 11:45 AM -0400 9/10/04, Steve Grammont wrote:
>It isn't slander when its the truth. You know there is a reward out for
>anybody that will swear that he served with Bush and that Bush was not
>AWOL, yet nobody has come forward? At least nobody questions the fact
>that Kerry DID show up WAS in Vietnam and DID participate in a firefight.
>
>>written on a late model computer, not a 30 year old typewriter. Kerry is
>>a disgrace to the uniform and all this country stands for.
>
>Cheney and Rumsfeld didn't wear a uniform to disgrace, though the 1000
>dead in Iraq might like an opportunity to say a word or two to say about
>Cheney and Rumsfeld's ability to lead this country in time of war.
Cheney and Rumsfeld aren't Kitchener.
>Remember... the war was supposed to cost $20 billion (now $200 billion
>and climbing) and all of our troops were to be pulled out 3 months ago
>(more troops there now than before and it still isn't 1/2 what is
>needed). Perhaps that is why we now have troop morale problems and a
>record budget deficit looming ahead for us taxpayers.
We had troop morale problems in November/December of '44. Should we
have pulled out of ETO then?
>Face it... the current administration is incompetent. They violated
>every principle behind the Powell Doctrine, which is probably why Powell
>was one of the only voices against the war when it became clear we were
>going with or without a solid case, allies, or (gasp) a workable military
>plan. And the bad joke that was the "Coalition of the Willing" is now
>basically the Coalition of the Unwilling as more of the tiny number of
>foreign troops are pulled out (Bulgaria and Ukraine are now joining Spain
>and Philippines).
Poland is still there. Pakistan is still there. Britain too (the ones
we'll always need and welcome. Japan has some troops in the mix
(amazing that). Austrailia and Canada have some of their PBI in
Afganistan which is more than good of them.
Do you really lament the loss of the 50 or so Phillipino troops? Or
the lack of French Troops in theatre? Looking back to WWII, we had
some stalwart allies and a number that were mere tokens. Do you agree
with Spain and 'Shoemaker' pulling out? It looks as if Russia is
going to be forced to step up to the plate as the Wahabist are doing
what Powell and the Foriegn Service folks haven't been able to do.
Given history, as long as we have members of the Anglosphere on our
side, we're probably on the right track militarily. The other allies
are a boon, but we cannot rely on them as they have different goals
and don't always see things the way we tend to. I'd like to see India
and Pakistan operated together or at least in the conflict. I
personally think India's Ghurka units would go a bloody long way in
Iraq. Turn them loose in Falluja or Ramadhi and let the Wahabist howl
about evil Buddists out to destroy Islam.
>I'm constantly amazed that anybody from the Vietnam era can turn a blind
>eye to what is going... it's the same old same old same old. Politicians
>running a war for political and economic reasons in opposition to sound
>military logic, death toll, or fiscal responsibility.
Ever hear of a spoiling attack? Refocusing someone's attention on
another part of the battle field? Principle of the lighting rod?
Militarily, fighting the insurgents in Iraq accomplishes a number of
things. It focus's the Wahabist on trying to defeat a democracy and
shows the world how the Islamists are devoutly against a pluralist
vote or women's rights. It also pulls many of them into a land battle
where we have the upper hand. The major faults I see are we didn't go
in with enough men (hindsight is 20/20) and that the Marines have not
been given enough of a free hand in dealing with Fallujah. Even so,
Fallujah's insurgents aren't sneaking out at night because there are
24/7 predator flights over the city and every movement outside the
perimeter is noted and prosecuted.
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