It’s hard to tell if the pundits know anything or if they’re just misunderestimating Bush, as usual. Heck, most of them predicted he would hop up on James Baker’s hobby horse and ride off to Tehran and Damascus to plead for help. So is there any real evidence that he wants to throw more troops at the problems in Iraq, like many of them are saying now? Hope not. It might just be Vietnam all over again, the way the anti-wars believe it already is. American troops all over the place, the Iraqi troops (read South Vietnamese army) sitting on their hands watching the Americans chew up neighborhoods, lots more American and civilian casualties. And, in the end, when the troops go home, nothing much to show for it as the insurgents surge back in. So I’m keeping my fingers crossed that the pundits, including irascible Ralph Peters, really don’t know what they’re talking about.
Peters, in particular, seems to have lost his way lately. He still gets a lot of respect from retired military careerist friends of mine, but sometimes he just doesn’t make any sense. He’s for Go big, but only if the rules of engagement change: ignore the MSM, shoot to kill, disarm the population, swarm the streets of Baghdad. Fat chance. The World War II days of saturation bombing are long gone. Do it precisely, directed by 30,000 or so advisers on the ground embeded with the Iraqi army, or forget about it. And start by killing Mookie Sadr, or at least ship him to Guantanamo. My two cents. The great thing about blogs is I get to spend mine. So do you if you care to comment. Just keep it civil.
UPDATE Blogger Bill Roggio, embeded with Marine advisers to the Iraqi Army is reporting stuff I haven’t seen anywhere else. Some of it is good: the Iraqi troops are brave and resourceful and tactically profficient. All they really need advisors for is help with resupply, and heavy weapons. Presumably also medevac, although it isn’t mentioned. The bad stuff sounds a lot like the worst of the South Vietnamese army’s problems. The Iraqi government is so inept (or corrupt) that their troops can’t get rifles, helmets or body armor, not even their own pay! Surely we can do better for them. While you’re at Roggio’s place, hit his tip jar. He’s already doing more than the MSM has.
THE TEXAS SCRIBBLER 
Good post, looking at both sides of the issue.
I do think we are repeating the mistakes of Vietnam. It was understandable that the US feared to engage China and Russia, if we pushed too hard for decisive result in 1967. Now we fear to engage…Syria and Iran? And we call ourselves a Great Power. I think not.
Thanks, Alan. I appreciate it.
We are a Great Power in economic and military terms, but seem increasingly not to know how to use them. I don’t envy Bush, forced by 9/11 to fight in the oil basin where a slipup could take us back to the days of double-digit inflation. Or to have to fight the enemy, the MSM, and half the country at the same time.