Andrew's current take on the war:
"We are fighting a global war with the manpower for a minor spat. Technology can only do so much. And when you further consider that, in order to win, we need to deal with Syria and Iran at the very least, you can see the scale of our problem. Solution? At this point, I can't see any except a major dose of luck."
I have to believe he and I are not simply not getting the same information. I'm at a loss as to how exactly he could come to such a conclusion if he were. Does he not read Cherenkoff's good news from Iraq? Do the blinders block that out? Or this? What of the Arab Spring? Does he think this is all going to collapse in on itself? How can you see this as anything other than the dying gasps of dead-enders. The local Iraqis my be opposed to the Americans but they damn sure don't like the foreign terrorists either. They put their differences aside to fight the common enemy, but that changed when they started car-bombing Iraqi targets. There were no infidels in the mosques, or schools or employment lines. None in the voting lines either. That was a grave tactical error. One from which they will not recover. Iraqi locals now see that things are not going to revert to the way they were. I suspect Saddam in his underwear only drove that message home.
Andrew also underestimates two things. First is technology which is a massive force multiplier. There is no way you can compare the intelligence capabilities of 1920 with today. Today we have predator drones, DNA sampling, datamining, night vision and on and on and on. In 1920 you had spyglasses and snitches.
Second: enlisting the locals. The Brits were famous for this as the term "Wog" was meant to be for a "worthy Oriental Gentleman". That is, a local who is not an utter savage. American's have taken that even further. They explained to the Iraqis that as Americans, we don't do Empire. We go home and let you govern. They are anxious to have a country of their own and fiercely proud of it as well. The raw numbers of US troops is not the full measure of what the terrorists are facing.
Andrew has also forgotten about flypaper. We are draining the swamp and bringing all the mosquitos to one spot. They stand out b/c they are foreigners and they are increasingly reviled by the locals. This makes them far easier to capture or kill. The noose is closing and the Saudis are going to find they are the ones wearing it.
"We are fighting a global war with the manpower for a minor spat. Technology can only do so much. And when you further consider that, in order to win, we need to deal with Syria and Iran at the very least, you can see the scale of our problem. Solution? At this point, I can't see any except a major dose of luck."
I have to believe he and I are not simply not getting the same information. I'm at a loss as to how exactly he could come to such a conclusion if he were. Does he not read Cherenkoff's good news from Iraq? Do the blinders block that out? Or this? What of the Arab Spring? Does he think this is all going to collapse in on itself? How can you see this as anything other than the dying gasps of dead-enders. The local Iraqis my be opposed to the Americans but they damn sure don't like the foreign terrorists either. They put their differences aside to fight the common enemy, but that changed when they started car-bombing Iraqi targets. There were no infidels in the mosques, or schools or employment lines. None in the voting lines either. That was a grave tactical error. One from which they will not recover. Iraqi locals now see that things are not going to revert to the way they were. I suspect Saddam in his underwear only drove that message home.
Andrew also underestimates two things. First is technology which is a massive force multiplier. There is no way you can compare the intelligence capabilities of 1920 with today. Today we have predator drones, DNA sampling, datamining, night vision and on and on and on. In 1920 you had spyglasses and snitches.
Second: enlisting the locals. The Brits were famous for this as the term "Wog" was meant to be for a "worthy Oriental Gentleman". That is, a local who is not an utter savage. American's have taken that even further. They explained to the Iraqis that as Americans, we don't do Empire. We go home and let you govern. They are anxious to have a country of their own and fiercely proud of it as well. The raw numbers of US troops is not the full measure of what the terrorists are facing.
Andrew has also forgotten about flypaper. We are draining the swamp and bringing all the mosquitos to one spot. They stand out b/c they are foreigners and they are increasingly reviled by the locals. This makes them far easier to capture or kill. The noose is closing and the Saudis are going to find they are the ones wearing it.
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