NYT: Empty Skies Over Afghanistan

NYT ^ | 02/18/10 | LARA M. DADKHAH

[TomasUSMC]

Your error — and it is a big one — Is in thinking that Time is on our side. But of course it is not at all.

Everyday Islam is catching up to US more and more in technology and money.

[TomasUSMC]

Who needs SAM site and fighters to sweep the skies when you have a senior officer corps of spineless PC yes men and a socialist/muslim president? You just point out that airstikes are “culturally insensitive”. Our Government and PC Senior Officer Corps cringes in terror at the accusation.
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How very true!

[TomasUSMC]

If civilians are killed we make enemies.

This is what our smartest in the Pentagon are saying. It is laughable. We are in a war, a WAR. Civilians always get killed in a WAR. Everyone except the PC sensitized and nuetered understands and accepts this.

We will make enemies by not killing the bad guys and then leaving in two years. When the taliban walk back in, every single civilian will hate our guts because.....

for fear of accidentally killing civilians we purposely did not kill the Taliban.

The Afghan people understand war. Too bad the Pentagon doesn’t anymore.

Time is not on our side

[Girlene]

Surprising that this is from the NYT. I can only pray that this strategy sorks because all common sense indicates it’s very dangerous for our troops and not necessarily a winning one.

[verity]

Mr. Ron White was certainly correct about you. :-)

[verity]

The frustration of those whose experience is limited to small unit engagements is understandable.
In order to understand the evolution of COIN doctrine, I recommend you read Henry Liddell Hart's book Strategy: The Indirect Approach for a historical perspective; The U.S. Army/Marine Corps Counterinsurgency Field Manual [With Forewords by General David H. Petraeus and Lt. General James F. Amos and by Lt. Colonel John A. Nagl]; and FM 3-24.

[4woodenboats]

It was an excellent article. The author points out that fighting to win the Miss Congeniality contest is not saving lives, and oh, by the way, WTF were we thinking - a question shouted out on these pages when McCrystal decided to sugarcoat all further encounters.

[4woodenboats]

Yes. That and the architect of “Just Lay Down And Let Em Pee On Ya” McCrystal

[4woodenboats]

It was an op-ed. I'm pretty sure their staff wouldn't have written that.

btw, how's things?