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2008-09-17 Iraq

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Posted by ryuge 2008-09-17 05:43|| || Front Page|| [3 views ] Top

#1 Petraeus did something astonishing here. It wasn't simply managing the "surge" of U.S. troops, whose precise effects military historians will be debating for years. It was that he restored confidence and purpose for a military that had begun to think, deep down, that this war was unwinnable and unsustainable.

When Ridgeway took over the command of 8th Army in Korea after the debacle created by the Chinese intervention, he found a staff planning to evacuate the peninsula. Our contemporary satellite photos showing the lights across the peninsula demonstrate the same sort of leadership we've witnessed. We have the leaders, we just need to get the bureaucratic managerial lifers out of the way. That's the trick. The puzzle palace can manage peacetime but it can not deliver leaders in wartime, particularly a wartime that last longer than the usual administrative imperative found in 'business as usual' environment.

Posted by Procopius2k 2008-09-17 08:27|| 2008-09-17 08:27|| Front Page Top

#2 I disagree with Ignatius regarding his comment that "Petraeus/Bush didn't win in Iraq" but created and honorable exit. BS. We are winning and will win. This is unlike any war - not a Forever War of Dexter Filkins (did you see the picture of him all outfitted in flak jacket and knee pads?) but a "long war" and one the Islamists have no chance of winning even with the bomb (I think we have a few more than they have and I don't think the Muslim world is happy that Iran may want to have one). It will take a toll on our youth and our military leadership but from Iraq and Afghanistan we now have the most experienced and combat tested armed force in the world. Even China and Russia are creating little firestorms on their borders in order to get some experience into their forces but they are a long way from our performance. No, with Petraeus now in the catbird seat and hopefully before W leaves in a more senior position even, we can now start structuring the forces into the right combination of strategic and tactical to complement the new world reality.

Posted by Jack is Back!">Jack is Back! 2008-09-17 12:07|| 2008-09-17 12:07|| Front Page Top

#3 Took a few tries before we had the right guy to dig the Panama canal. You need the right man for the right job, and the bigger the job the harder it is to find the right guy. Well done Petraeus.

Posted by Iblis 2008-09-17 14:12|| 2008-09-17 14:12|| Front Page Top

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