The British Chief of the General Staff, Richard Dannatt, may have gone a “Bridge too Far”.
His remarks about getting British troops out of Iraq... because they are making the Iraqi problem worse, raised some eyebrows at 10 Downing Street, in London, and that five sided building in Washington, as well as at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.
I expect the General may very well be in some hot water with his superiors and may find himself separated from the service sooner than he had planned.
I don’t see a problem with the Brits, or any single member country in our coalition. I DO see a problem with “The Coalition”… period. I don’t like coalitions.
Look, the Coalition was created, in the first place, to placate the Left Wing and the UN… which, come to think of it, are the same thing.
Coalitions go against the American character. We’re individualists. Granted… not as much as we were in days gone by, but that streak of "rugged individualism" is still there.
It is my opinion that the war-fighting portion of the Iraqi adventure was a credit to the Planners and Expeditors who got it implemented and saw it through. But, (and I hate to say this) we have really fallen on our faces in the months after the actual all out war.
Americans aren’t nation builders. I have said this time and again. Not only aren’t we nation builders, for the most part, we aren’t even interested in trying. Many of us believe, including your ‘s truly, that leaving an enemy nation sitting atop the pile of rubble, that was it’s home, is a part of the price they pay for going against America.
I would have been happy to see out troops load Saddam into a C-130 and air-lift him out of there within hours of yanking him for his hole in the ground, then convoy our troops back into Saudi Arabia and Kuwait... and from there… home.
Look, we can set up a democratic government in Iraq... and set an example to the remainder of the Middle East… but that government will last only so long as US troops remain in Iraq.
Now, I don’t think that is a defeatist attitude. I think that is looking reality right in the face.
I think our military has done a superb job. And, I think that given the fact that they are war-fighters first, they have done an admirable job trying to put down the insurgent violence. But, we are asking too much of them when we ask them to put on the hats of a policeman or a nation builder.
You cannot force democracy on anyone, on any country, on any people. They have to want it and seek it... all on their own. That’s not happening in the Middle East... anywhere but Israel.
I have come to believe that our efforts in Iraq and in Afghanistan toward building democracies, is a waste of time and American blood.
I think the President was correct in invading both Afghanistan and Iraq and tossing out the Taliban and Saddam. But that is where, in my opinion, it should have stopped. We should have pulled back, but kept troops in the immediate area ready to re-enter at a moments notice. Because, dear reader, no matter when we leave Iraq, or Afghanistan, we WILL have to return! That is a given. I see nothing, in the immediate future, to indicate that we will ever be able to completely disentangle ourselves for the Middle East. We are there to stay.
Oh, and let me add… US troops will remain in the Middle East no matter if the administration is Republican or Democrat. If a Democrat administration pulls US forces out, the attacks against us will continue, and escalate, until US forces are re-inserted into the Middle East. The sooner the American public understands that the better it will be for our war effort.
Longstreet
I think the President was correct in invading both Afghanistan and Iraq and tossing out the Taliban and Saddam.
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Well the Taliban is back and is gaining favor with Afghany farmers. I want to know what happened to, "We will not rest untill those responsible for 9-11 are brought to justice." how that went to, "I honestly don't think too much about Osama Binladen". How can the president do sucha horrific flip-flop? How can you be O.K. with that? I am an American before I am a Democrat or a Republican, I believe in this nation, I just wish we had competant leaders.
I hope Bin Laden is fooled as easily as you are Frank. Just kidding!
ReplyDeleteBut, seriously, what makes you think we have stoped looking? Rest assured we have teams of Special Forces (Berats, Seals, Air Force Controllers, and I wouldn't be suprised if there were a few of the Queen's "Special Air Service" guys mixed into the lot) all over those mountains in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Yes, I said Pakistan. Amerian troops are in the mountains of Pakistan looking for Bin Laden. They may not LOOK like Americans, not speak like Americans, nor dress like Americans, but they ARE there, my friend. And sooner or later, if he is alive, his head will be brought back to the President in a cooler filled with dry ice!
Longstreet,
ReplyDeleteI have had the privilege of working briefly for the General, and he is a man who I have the greatest respect and affection for. He came across as a very incisive person who cared a great deal for his soldiers. While I defend ‘Dickie’ Dannatt and his right to express his opinion, he has overstepped the mark. The military do not formulate foreign policy here in the UK, and if he wished to raise his concerns he should have gone to his superior, Mr. B’liar.
However, it is disappointing that the press failed to grasp what was probably Sir Richards’s most important point. The Army is being stretched beyond what is sustainable. We were there to fight because that is what we do. As you so clearly state “You cannot force democracy on anyone, on any country, on any people. They have to want it and seek it... all on their own.” As I discovered in the Balkans, there is no such thing as peacekeeping, only peace-enforcement.
Our Forces have been treated disgracefully by this and previous governments.
The personnel, like the US forces, are all volunteers. We sign up for the service, which we give without question, in any military theatre of operations, because it is quite plainly and simply our duty. Our duty, which time and time again we prove that we can execute in the time-honoured fashion of the professional British Armed Forces. Whether it is in combat where courage shines through, or patrolling on the street where a wave to a child can bring a smile to a sad face, we face the day-to-day possibility of paying the ultimate price.
So when we request more resources to be able to do the job, better equipment for our protection, recognition for our efforts, support for the relatives of those killed in action, support for the wounded, one has to ask “Is the government, and notably the Prime Minister, doing their duty?”
Troops earning less than minimum wage, shoddy treatment of war widows, soldiers being treated in civilian hospitals, shortages of body armour, an amputee waiting for 45 minutes to be administered morphine screaming in pain. The list of failings of the government towards the armed forces is only equalled in the opposite by the successes of the serving personnel in the field.
The policies of successive governments have reduced our Forces to a shadow of their former selves, putting the defence of this country at risk. Due to these policies we are overburdened, understaffed and under equipped. (The US Marines have 140,000 personnel; there are only 110,000 in the British Army.) Cuts next year will see the size of the Army fall again, and cuts within the Navy have made us unable to contribute to any naval blockade of North Korea. We now spend 5% of GDP on defence and 29% on social security.
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On the topic of the coalition. Do you think it would help if there were an “Ike” in command? A man that understands how both the military and political spheres are entwined.
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On a completely different matter, I saw this in a national newspaper today.
“Last night the Home Office admitted five American nationals have claimed asylum (in the UK) this year. (of those interviewed) One was from Ohio and the other from Kansas. They claimed asylum because they said they were racially discriminated against at home.”
Comments?
Regards,
Wha Wadna Fecht for Charlie
"On the topic of the coalition. Do you think it would help if there were an “Ike” in command? A man that understands how both the military and political spheres are entwined."
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I really don't know. It worked in the 40's but this is a whole 'nuther world, today.
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"On a completely different matter, I saw this in a national newspaper today.
“Last night the Home Office admitted five American nationals have claimed asylum (in the UK) this year. (of those interviewed) One was from Ohio and the other from Kansas. They claimed asylum because they said they were racially discriminated against at home.”
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A couple fo things come to mind. First: I coud not help but notice that none were from the Southern states. Second: There are some people who have yet to understand that racism is a natural state of man. Despicable, but it comes with the territory of being a human. Plus, it is world wide. There is nowhere one can go that racism will not raise it's ugly head.
Had I the authority to accept, or deny, their appications for asylum in the UK, I'd turn them down. I'd deny them all. I'd refuse them asylum. Seems to me the UK would be allowing troblemakers into the country and, Lord knows, neither of our countries need anymore of those.