Post by Bret Walker on Apr 1, 2003 16:41:22 GMT -5
Well, I never thought it was going to be a quick war. Some people seem to be shocked that the war has lasted this long. OOH, TWO WEEKS!!! Imagine a war lasting that long!!!
There is a fundamental problem that the US should have known about before going to war with Iraq. This is a fundamental problem that the US should be INTIMATELY aware of.
American Revolution - British forces find they cannot fight against colonists who do not follow the prescribed doctrines of war. While the British line up in straight columns and march in an orderly fashion into battle, the colonists attack them from behind rocks and trees, often launching surprise attacks. The British attempt to put fear into the hearts of the colonists by being overtly brutal to those they capture. Instead, the colonists are enraged and fight even harder against their oppressors. Britain loses its colonies.
Viet Nam War - Despite immeasurably superior fire-power and training, US forces cannot gain a foothold inside Viet Nam and those who they are supposedly defending become intrinsically converted to the other side. The US is forced to flee the country in haste after a decade of brutal fighting with no progress.
Somalia - Firepower, air superiority, training, armor - none of these things helped the US in face of the warlords and their unconventional warfare tactics, including sneak attacks and non-uniformed combatants. The US withdraws from Somalia.
When is the US going to realize that there is no way to win a war when unconventional tactics are used against a conventional army? Even if they win, they lose the political battle. The Iraqi citizenry, those who the US seeks to "liberate," are becoming more and more angered at our presence there. Despite the brutality of the Hussein regime, and despite the fact that the Iraqi "elite" forces are using women and children as human shields, the US and British forces are not winning any popularity contests in Iraq. I know that the war is only two weeks old, but I fear that it will go on indefinitely and only four things will come of it:
1. The US will not depose Saddam Hussein
2. The US and Britain will withdraw from Iraq after tremendous losses
3. The UN and every ally we ever had will turn their backs on us
4. The Islamic world will never EVER trust us again
In other words, this war has served and will only serve to weaken the US, where Bush seems to think that it will be a show of our might.
I'd like to point out once again that I did not vote for Bush, and I will not in 2004. I don't care if his opposition is Bullwinkle, Alfred E. Neuman, and Flipper; I will vote for one of them before I vote for Bush.
There is a fundamental problem that the US should have known about before going to war with Iraq. This is a fundamental problem that the US should be INTIMATELY aware of.
American Revolution - British forces find they cannot fight against colonists who do not follow the prescribed doctrines of war. While the British line up in straight columns and march in an orderly fashion into battle, the colonists attack them from behind rocks and trees, often launching surprise attacks. The British attempt to put fear into the hearts of the colonists by being overtly brutal to those they capture. Instead, the colonists are enraged and fight even harder against their oppressors. Britain loses its colonies.
Viet Nam War - Despite immeasurably superior fire-power and training, US forces cannot gain a foothold inside Viet Nam and those who they are supposedly defending become intrinsically converted to the other side. The US is forced to flee the country in haste after a decade of brutal fighting with no progress.
Somalia - Firepower, air superiority, training, armor - none of these things helped the US in face of the warlords and their unconventional warfare tactics, including sneak attacks and non-uniformed combatants. The US withdraws from Somalia.
When is the US going to realize that there is no way to win a war when unconventional tactics are used against a conventional army? Even if they win, they lose the political battle. The Iraqi citizenry, those who the US seeks to "liberate," are becoming more and more angered at our presence there. Despite the brutality of the Hussein regime, and despite the fact that the Iraqi "elite" forces are using women and children as human shields, the US and British forces are not winning any popularity contests in Iraq. I know that the war is only two weeks old, but I fear that it will go on indefinitely and only four things will come of it:
1. The US will not depose Saddam Hussein
2. The US and Britain will withdraw from Iraq after tremendous losses
3. The UN and every ally we ever had will turn their backs on us
4. The Islamic world will never EVER trust us again
In other words, this war has served and will only serve to weaken the US, where Bush seems to think that it will be a show of our might.
I'd like to point out once again that I did not vote for Bush, and I will not in 2004. I don't care if his opposition is Bullwinkle, Alfred E. Neuman, and Flipper; I will vote for one of them before I vote for Bush.
