[Dirk McQuickly]

World military academies will be dissecting this for years to come. Once a little distance is put between April 9th and the coming years, the words "shock and awe" will have a much different meaning. One-sixth of out military overran Iraq. The only counter seems to be an effective anti-air system, and that will require a serious leap in technology to challenge our air superiority.

Bravo, Bush, Franks, Rumsfeld, Rice, Wolfowitz, et al.

[Mark Felton]

Actually effective shoulder launched anti-tank weapons dispersed by the hundreds in 3-5 man teams, each operating independently would have severely hampered success. It may well likely have created a quagmire, particularly if the environment included lots of forests, trees, hills and other types of ground cover.

[Oldeconomybuyer]

[Saundra Duffy]

Shock and awe - what'd you expect?

[konaice]

"One-sixth of out (sic probably meant our) military overran Iraq."

One Sixth in terms of total numbers, (including reserves) but virtually the all of the combat oriented divisions were employed.

Our military has been so thined out by the Klinton years that if Mexico attacked right now we would have to call up all reserves. The bulk of our combat troups are over there.

[AxelPaulsenJr]

"Dirk McQuickly" ?

[PBRSTREETGANG]

Why would anyone want to study a quagmire like this? :-)

[whadizit]

I do not see them as being jealous as much as grateful for eliminating threat to Israel! Admiration is a better word, IMO.

[adx]

Israeli Military Amazed, "Jealous" At U.S. War Against Iraq

Tell ya what, Israel. Howz bout you practice on Syria, while we do the same on (Iran/Saudi/Pakistan/N.Korea/France)?

[txzman]

However going up against a country with a large stockpile of new SAMs and anti-ship Sunbeam missles would be a very different story regarding the air and naval war.

Outcome would be the same eventually, but casualties would be much, much higher.

[RinaseaofDs]

For the US and the UK, it was the whole package.

The all-volunteer military (people who want to fight, motivated to defend the country, motivated by 9/11), the technology, the integration of command, control, coordination, and communication, having great intelligence, and lots of other things.

The enemy wasn't motivated, and neither was the populace. Can you imagine trying to invade the US? The Japanese believed there would be a rifle behind every blade of grass. They're right. The US love's its country and way of life. Iraqi's, Iranians, NK's, Syrians do not. Neither by the way do Saudi's.

We attack oppressive governments. That's the key. Oppressive governments are run by sick people. Sick people have trouble coordinating war efforts objectively. North Korea is getting a huge whiff of that right now. NK can rattle their sabres all they want, but I think they are starting to find out what the limitations of a starving conscript military actually are. Syria is ultimately not that stupid either. They will come around.

It will be nice to give the military a break soon. Syria and NK will have to be dealt with diplomatically, as will Iran. I think at this point, they can be, having done the militarily impossible twice now (Afghanistan and Iraq were both supposed to be quagmires), I think that these other countries now believe that when Bush says something, its on the level. 9/11 was the biggest mistake radical Islam ever made, and it will probably result in a unipolar world for the foreseeable future.

It may also lead to the death of liberalism, as one of the key qualifiers for the office of President has become possessing the credibility to defend the country from not just other countries, but terrorism. I think that unless Sam Nunn decides to run for President, the D's have lost any credibility to attend to national defense. Security issues and economic issues are now on fairly equal footing it seems.

A lot of people will say it was air superiority. Remember that we launched the ground war first, without a massive bombardment that came with Gulf War I. The fact that Iraq had no air assets deployed? That sort of helped.

[habs4ever]

Shock and Awe indeed!

Shock and Awe: The Aftershock

[geedee]

Quagmire does Baghdad! I'll wait for the movie.

[green team 1999]

bump.

[ChadGore]

One-sixth of our military overran Iraq.

That's amazing.

[Doctor Freeze]

Take note Syria, North Korea, Iran, and China... don't mess with us unless you want to feel the wrath of the greatest military in the world.

[chainsaw]

This war will be studied by every nation in the world. Few will be able to duplicate it in any way.

I think General Franks deserves a very big think you from the American, and Iraqi people.

[HighRoadToChina]

BUMP!

[Walkin Man]

Wow! That is high praise from one of the greatest military force in the world!

[Al B.]

FYI -- high praise coming from these guys.

[Diddle E. Squat]

I dunno, seems like incapacitating our satellites could go a long way towards evening the odds. Luckily Iraq had no ability to do such. OTOH, China and Russia...