I'm still kind of overwhelmed trying to process our multiplying domestic and foreign disasters, but here's one facet that is particularly infuriating, especially considering the many natural advantages our country has in manufacturing, technological development, economic wealth and actual on-the-ground experience: "Afghanistan proves our failed generals no longer care about winning". A good article by Michael Walsh. Herewith, a sample.
It’s easy to blame the craven civilian leadership that pushed us into this morass, starting with the naïve and weak-willed George W. Bush; the feckless Barack Obama, and now the senile Joe Biden; only Donald Trump, who rightly criticized the “forever wars” and had put into place a carrot-and-stick approach to resolve the situation, had any grasp of the problem.
But the real villains here are the throne-sniffing Pentagon brass who failed in the one mission every commanding general has: to win the damn war. The argument is made that — in Vietnam, Iraq, and now Afghanistan — the politicians wouldn’t let them win. But, throughout history, generals who understood the larger strategic situation even when their nominal superiors didn’t — or couldn’t admit it for political reasons — went ahead and won anyway.
They claimed to oppose Trump's decision to leave Syria because they knew better, yet they did this half-arsed withdrawal from Afghanistan that maximized the pain and suffering of both Americans in the country and the Afghani people.
ReplyDeleteHmmmm, methinks there was something else going on. Especially since there's absolutely no national security imperative in Syria, just a bunch of jihadis fighting each other and the murderous dictator.
They were obviously taking orders from their real masters and not the commander in chief as specified by the document that gives them their power and that they swore to uphold against all enemies foreign and domestic.
I can understand their reticence on that last point, they're the "domestic" enemies of the Constitution, they didn't want to go against themselves.
We're overlooking some other people besides the generals: our elected Congress critters who theoretically have the power to reign in rogue presidents and the Pentakingdom. But they're too busy fund raising and running for reelection, in between insider trading and handing out pork.
ReplyDeleteRebecca, those congresscritters are routinely in direct communication with the Joint Chiefs. If the elected officials didn't know what the generals were (or were not) actually doing, it's because the elected officials weren't trusted by the JCS, or because the elected officials didn't care.
ReplyDeleteSo many of the congressional delegations are likely in cahoots with the military. Which is another example of how deep the corruption runs.