Our inevitable defeat will be spectacular
“Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory. Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat.”
- Sun Tzu quotes
On Tuesday Defense Secretary Jim "Mad Dog" Mattis said while testifying before the Senate Armed Services Committee, "We are not winning in Afghanistan right now."
That made a few headlines, but it turns out he said something else far, far more important that day.
Defense Secretary James Mattis offered a disturbing assessment Tuesday of U.S. involvement in Afghanistan, its longest running war. "We have entered a strategy-free time," he told Congress, sobering words given the 8,400 U.S. troops at risk there and Mattis' further acknowledgement that the U.S. and its Afghan and coalition allies are "not winning."
This is mind-blowing to me.
Saying that the people running the war have no strategy is something that a hippie, anti-war protestor is supposed to say. Not the actual people running the war!
And yet, the very next day things got much, much worse.
President Trump has decided to let Secretary of Defense (and retired four-star general) James Mattis set U.S. troop levels in Afghanistan—a move that amounts to yet another indication, in some ways an admission, that the commander in chief is not up to the job.
Trump has effectively turned over the running of a failed war to a general that has said such things as:
"You go into Afghanistan, you got guys who slap women around for five years because they didn't wear a veil. You know, guys like that ain't got no manhood left anyway. So it's a hell of a lot of fun to shoot them. Actually it's quite fun to fight them, you know. It's a hell of a hoot. It's fun to shoot some people. I'll be right up there with you. I like brawling."
Do you think that someone like that is going to arrive at the same conclusion as United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres who said there is no military solution to the conflict in Afghanistan? Not likely.
As if that wasn't enough for yesterday, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson think that regime change in Iran is a swell idea.
“Well our Iranian policy is under development,” Tillerson replied.
Is that like "strategy-free"?
Comments
No boots on the ground
It's only our lives at stake.
Not theirs. They will flee to their hidden retreats in other countries while you and I are annihilated after these countries start to get sick of our shenanigans and just hit us on our own territory. No worries, there.
"The “jumpers” reminded us that one day we will all face only one choice and that is how we will die, not how we will live." Chris Hedges on 9/11
Strategy-Free
@gjohnsit
" In the beginning, the universe was created. This has made a lot of people very angry, and is generally considered to have been a bad move. -- Douglas Adams, The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy "
But people are blaming Bernie because of a lone shooter?
when the conservatives in power say things like this:
They're not just blaming Bernie,
they're blaming anyone who ever supported him. And yes it's completely irrational.
native
They are deadly scared of Bernie
especially since the British election and the obvious collapse of the Blairite Tory-lite control of Labour.
The neo-liberals will try extra hard
to maintain control of the Dem party as a result, and if that fails, expect them to switch sides completely (not that they haven't already).
"Obama promised transparency, but Assange is the one who brought it."
One moron worse than the other...
Did you see this gjohnsit? Everybody is a burger flipper.
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/a-majority-of-americans-make-less-than-...
"Religion is what keeps the poor from murdering the rich."--Napoleon
The Emperor is not required to have a strategy.
He need only present himself wearing a new suit of clothes, for Congress to be fully satisfied with his appearance.
native
@native I see this as simply
I see this as simply honest. But then, that's what really irks the Establishment about Trump. It's not his lack of expertise and it's certainly not his racism and sexism. It's that he makes the truth about the establishment really, really obvious, because he doesn't bother obfuscating it. He just puts the crappy truth into practice, in front of god and everybody.
My guess is the President hasn't been automatically in charge of military matters for a long time. Obama had the mental chops to do it, if not the moral compass, but you saw how that went--they basically just disobeyed him last Sept, trashing the Syrian ceasefire.
Surely no one imagines that George W. Bush was in charge of military matters. Nor Reagan. George H.W. Bush probably was, but that wasn't because he was elected President, it was because he had deep ties with the CIA. Bill Clinton? Anybody's guess.
"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha
"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver
I agree completely.
It's likely that JFK tried to take charge of military matters, but that did not end at all well for him, or for his brother. I doubt that any President has made a serious attempt since then. There have been varying degrees of compromise with the MIC, but no more than that. Trump's initial bid for independence seems to have fallen flat on its face.
native
It has finally happened
They threw a war and nobody cares. Or it has been happening for so long that people have forgotten that we have troops still fighting in Afghanistan. Those service members are risking their lives everyday, but no one has been paying attention to them.
There was a reason for why the founders put a civilian in charge of the military. The twitter in chief has no interest in running the military. This might be a good thing to happen if he isn't meeting with the military advisers every Tuesday and deciding on who to kill.
Nah, the CIA has probably taken full control over it.
Which AIPAC/MIC/pharma/bank bought politician are you going to vote for? Don’t be surprised when nothing changes.
the war in Afghanistan
Don't forget that that's by design. When we had decent independent war reporting (Vietnam) our people rose up against that war as never before or since. So, of course, the independent reporting had to go.......
"US govt/military = bad. Russian govt/military = bad. Any politician wanting power = bad. Anyone wielding power = bad." --Shahryar
"All power corrupts absolutely!" -- thanatokephaloides
We'll have wars now with little, if any
input from either Congress or the President. The generals can just set our policy and chart our course, why not? They're good at it right? They've got a great track record thus far, right?
The last time we won a war (not counting Grenada) was VJ Day. When will the PTB figure out that hard power doesn't work well anymore?
"Obama promised transparency, but Assange is the one who brought it."
Just announced arm sales
of $12 billion to Qatar. http://r.search.yahoo.com/_ylt=A0LEVjFHD0NZ0S0Ayzs3nIlQ;_ylu=X3oDMTBybnV...
The object of war is war.
Orwell: Where's the omelette?
@jim p Whoa, shit! We're selling
Whoa, shit! We're selling arms to both sides of that war? The only reason I'm shocked is that the people on the other side are the Saudis, who are usually untouchable like the Israelis. In that we always, always, always do what they want.
We're selling arms not only to KSA but to Qatar? Whoa, Nellie!
"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha
"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver
The Qataris are claiming that this proves
that they are on Uncle Sam's good side. In my jaded view, I think we're lulling the Qataris into a false sense of security with this deal, and once Prince Tamim flies to Paris to meet Macron, we'll launch the coup.
I think our goal there is to install a Wahhabi asshole who does what the KSA tells him to, and represses his people.
"Obama promised transparency, but Assange is the one who brought it."
@dervish Does he have to fly
Does he have to fly to Paris? Can't he send a minister?
"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha
"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver
He needs to Mac,
He really needs to send someone else, or cancel. The Qataris seem convinced by American and other western assurances, but it looks like a set-up to me.
"Obama promised transparency, but Assange is the one who brought it."
I
understand you.
"The object of persecution is persecution. The object of torture is torture. The object of power is power. Now do you begin to understand me?" ~Orwell, "1984"
It's your sig
that reminded me of the truth of things and was my inspiration. And you know what? It's not a clever word game. Terror, torture, and the rest are exactly there for themselves.
Orwell: Where's the omelette?
Actually, I suppose the object of war is profit. Under
capitalism, profit motivates everything, even politics.
"The object of persecution is persecution. The object of torture is torture. The object of power is power. Now do you begin to understand me?" ~Orwell, "1984"
strategy free
More like brain-free.
I'd say that Matthis and his ilk were a bunch of dicks "thinking" with their little heads. But that insults 99% of the world's penises, my own included, as such penises have more brainpower than is being demonstrated here.
"US govt/military = bad. Russian govt/military = bad. Any politician wanting power = bad. Anyone wielding power = bad." --Shahryar
"All power corrupts absolutely!" -- thanatokephaloides
"Strategy is for losahs!" Hun Too
Sounds like "Dr. Strangelove" in real time.
I'm too old to be freaked out. I'm pissed off that it has gotten to this point! Rec'd!!
Inner and Outer Space: the Final Frontiers.
Well, I guess Tillerson doesn't want those Russia contracts
after all.
The CIA can be mighty persuasive.
"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha
"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver
It's no different than it's always been. Under Obama,
he got to "choose" among three options the Pentagon would provide, but it's not like he knew what the fuck he was doing.
The objective isn't to win, obviously. Mattis said the objective was to make the country secure enough that the Afghan government could handle the mess they leave behind, which makes no sense at all.
It's a key location, next to Iran, between Iran and China. It's all part of the larger goal for the New World Order.
What America needs is a Modern Major General
to get things done overseas.
Gëzuar!!
from a reasonably stable genius.
Cue Gilbert & Sullivan
especially this verse:
General:
In fact, when I know what is meant by "mamelon" and "ravelin",
When I can tell at sight a Mauser rifle from a javelin,
When such affairs as sorties and surprises I'm more wary at,
And when I know precisely what is meant by "commissariat",
When I have learnt what progress has been made in modern gunnery,
When I know more of tactics than a novice in a nunnery--
In short, when I've a smattering of elemental strategy,
You'll say a better Major-General has never sat a gee.
All:
You'll say a better Major-General has never sat a gee.
You'll say a better Major-General has never sat a gee.
You'll say a better Major-General has never sat a gee.
General:
For my military knowledge, though I'm plucky and adventury,
Has only been brought down to the beginning of the century;
But still, in matters vegetable, animal, and mineral,
I am the very model of a modern Major-General.
All:
But still, in matters vegetable, animal, and mineral,
He is the very model of a modern Major-General.
There is no justice. There can be no peace.
Sigh
Just yesterday I heard a young mother discussing her seven month old, how this child is starting to develop a personality and will respond to her and how she thinks her child is starting to respond to her dad who she's only ever known via Skype because dad has been deployed the entire time she's been alive. Mom was really upbeat, like this was just the way things were and nothing could have been more natural, but it kind of punched me in the gut at how stupid and pointless this endless war is. I don't know how old this mom was, couldn't have been more than mid-20s, if that. We've been at war most of her life. Who knows how long until her daughter meets her father? Or even if she ever will?
Idolizing a politician is like believing the stripper really likes you.
How long before the second generation
of American troops are fighting in Afghanistan?
"Obama promised transparency, but Assange is the one who brought it."
It's depressing.
I used to work with high school students, some of whom literally haven't know a United States not at war. I never got to talk a whole lot about it, but this just seemed to be an accepted fact of life for a lot of them. Not that they weren't aware. On the contrary. The time I spent with them is why I take issue with the millennial stereotype. But it was just another part of the world they were growing up in.
I contrast that to when I was that age. Gulf War I was on the horizon and it was kind of schocking. There were rumors of a draft, which of course got all our attention. This was still in the post-Vietnam period. I knew many who served in that war who clearly didn't want to see their sons and daughters go for no good reason.
I guess that was the thing that really came home to me. When I was at that age, the idea of the US getting involved in another full out war (as opposed to the BS "military actions" we'd been in) seemed more of a big deal than it is now. Of course, I remember being against the war wasn't totally accepted, but it seemed like blind acceptance wasn't a given either. It just feels like the country has been numbed to it by this point, which is a really dangerous place to be. The argument exists that this is exactly the point and I find it harder to disagree every day.
Idolizing a politician is like believing the stripper really likes you.
What would a victory in Afghanistan even look like?
Seriously, what are we trying to accomplish?
If this was a wargame, what would the victory conditions be? I suspect that our objective would be to occupy Afghanistan, pacify the resistance, and return the country and its economy to a normal footing. The enemy objective would likely be to prevent us from the former.
On that basis, an American victory isn't possible, and never was. They don't call Afghanistan "the graveyard of empires" for nothing.
"Obama promised transparency, but Assange is the one who brought it."
Declare victory and GTFO
It's the only way this mess will ever end.
There is no justice. There can be no peace.