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This Parallel Between LBJ’s And Obama’s War Plans Will Terrify You
The Federalist ^ | 18 September 2014 | Sean Davis

Posted on 09/18/2014 9:19:46 AM PDT by Lorianne

Ed Morrissey over at HotAir has a great write-up on the new Wall Street Journal story about how President Obama plans to exert a great deal of “personal control” over Middle Eastern air strikes, so I won’t try to reprise his arguments. To briefly recap, here’s what the WSJ reported last night about Obama’s new strategy:

The U.S. military campaign against Islamist militants in Syria is being designed to allow President Barack Obama to exert a high degree of personal control, going so far as to require that the military obtain presidential signoff for strikes in Syrian territory, officials said.

Here’s where it gets spooky. Compare that paragraph to the following quote from the book “American Generalship: Character Is Everything: The Art of Command.” In it, the author recounts a passage from Gen. William Westmoreland’s memoirs about how political interference from a know-it-all president severely hampered the American campaign in Vietnam. The parallels are terrifying:

Westmoreland LBJ Outhouse

A controversial new war with no definition of victory, no clear exit strategy, and a naive president who thinks targets should be picked from the Oval Office? What could possibly go wrong?


TOPICS: Government
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1 posted on 09/18/2014 9:19:46 AM PDT by Lorianne
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To: Lorianne

Hitler had the very same control over the details.


2 posted on 09/18/2014 9:21:45 AM PDT by Slyfox (Satan's goal is to rub out the image of God he sees in the face of every human.)
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To: Slyfox

Thank goodness otherwise Rommel would have controlled all of Africa and Europe very quickly.


3 posted on 09/18/2014 9:23:01 AM PDT by Resolute Conservative
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To: Lorianne

The parallel is that Haiphong Harbor was a no-bomb zone-—dummies! UNWAR I-

and supply lines to ISIS thru Turkey are a no-bomb zone.

UNWAR for Dummies II.


4 posted on 09/18/2014 9:24:32 AM PDT by bunkerhill7 ("The Second Amendment has no limits on firepower"-NY State Senator Kathleen A. Marchione.")
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To: Lorianne

Sort of like the military restrictions when they had the One-Eyed Mullah in their sites a decade ago. By the time they got permission to fire, the One-Eyed Mullah was safe.


5 posted on 09/18/2014 9:24:46 AM PDT by TomGuy
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To: Lorianne

This Parallel Between LBJ’s And Obama’s War Plans Will Terrify You

___________________________________________________

Yep. I’m terrified. But why stop at war plans. Johnson also had plans to create the greatest Welfare State in all of human history. And look at how B. Hussein has exceeded that and more.


6 posted on 09/18/2014 9:28:38 AM PDT by Responsibility2nd (NO LIBS. This Means Liberals and (L)libertarians! Same Thing. NO LIBS!!)
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To: Lorianne

Obama will approve lots of actions that get Americans killed, and no actions that will do serious harm to any Muslim terrorist.


7 posted on 09/18/2014 9:29:53 AM PDT by Arthur McGowan
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To: Resolute Conservative
Thank goodness otherwise Rommel would have controlled all of Africa and Europe very quickly.

Your analogy would be that we will not win in Syria because of Obama's micro-managing.

If I were in the military right now I would do whatever I could to get out.

And I consider myself a hawk.

8 posted on 09/18/2014 9:30:46 AM PDT by Slyfox (Satan's goal is to rub out the image of God he sees in the face of every human.)
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To: Lorianne

The enlightened ruler is heedful, and the good general full of caution.
Sun Tzu


9 posted on 09/18/2014 9:34:16 AM PDT by Ouchthatonehurt ("When you're going through hell, keep going." - Sir Winston Churchill)
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To: Lorianne

I just cannot see O micro-managing. That would mean he has to be close to the Situation Room. That would mean his golfing would be severely curtailed.

I can see him delegating this to someone else. If things go good, O will take the credit. If things go bad, someone else will take the blame. O is not going to put himself in a position where HE is perceived as the responsible party, especially if things go bad.


10 posted on 09/18/2014 9:34:42 AM PDT by TomGuy
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To: Lorianne; All

So it’s kinda like a game of charades — Odumbo can go on pretending to be presidential and the enemy can go on pretending to be afraid...ooohhhh, I get it.

Nothing will happen, nothing will change, and American’s will die.

Pretty much sums it up. Now sssshhhhh, Oprah is on, please sit back and relax and enjoy the decline of a once great nation.


11 posted on 09/18/2014 9:35:18 AM PDT by areukiddingme1 (areukiddingme1 is a synonym for a Retired U.S. Navy Chief Petty Officer and tired of liberal BS.))
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To: Lorianne
This new thread just popped up:

U.S. ready to strike ISIS in Syria [waiting president's authorization]
12 posted on 09/18/2014 9:36:14 AM PDT by TomGuy
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To: TomGuy

I just cannot see O micro-managing. That would mean he has to be close to the Situation Room. That would mean his golfing would be severely curtailed.


Pssst....it would actually be ValJar making the calls.


13 posted on 09/18/2014 9:38:46 AM PDT by Jane Long ("And when thou saidst, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face, LORD, will I seek")
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To: Lorianne

Not terrified, just so bloody thankful that all this started after my son signed his get out of the Corps papers because he said he wanted to go kick some more ... but it was too late. Lost my bro in Nam, lost son’s friends in Afghanistan, screw these rules of engagement. Politicians thinking they are God when they should be fighting under God’s rules of engagement.

By the way, soldiers just married didn’t have to deploy for the first year of their marriage.


14 posted on 09/18/2014 9:50:05 AM PDT by huldah1776
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To: huldah1776
If Barky is making the calls, why do we have highly paid generals and admirals ?
15 posted on 09/18/2014 9:53:13 AM PDT by Eric in the Ozarks (Rip it out by the roots.)
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To: Lorianne

It doesn’t terrify me. It cracks me up.

But then, I’m way too old to draft...


16 posted on 09/18/2014 9:54:02 AM PDT by cuban leaf (The US will not survive the obama presidency. The world may not either.)
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To: Responsibility2nd

Vietnam in the sand.


17 posted on 09/18/2014 10:40:05 AM PDT by Caribou ( www.ktok.com Red State Radio free streaming.)
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To: Lorianne

Obama, all the decisiveness of Carter and twice
the military genius of Johnson...able to leap
congressional obstruction in a single bound!


18 posted on 09/18/2014 10:43:45 AM PDT by tet68 ( " We would not die in that man's company, that fears his fellowship to die with us...." Henry V.)
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To: Slyfox

I agree.


19 posted on 09/18/2014 11:00:28 AM PDT by Resolute Conservative
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To: Lorianne

Can we catch Zer0 giving a heads up to his radical Islamic buddies? You can bet that is what will happen.


20 posted on 09/18/2014 11:12:35 AM PDT by RatRipper (No need to rob others; democRATS will steal and share a tiny bit with you.)
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