You are right in assessment William. There have been many one day battles that have left more dead than all of the dead in Iraq. I live near Gettysburg, I have been to Antietam, and I also grew up just outside of Valley Forge and I currently live literally a stone's throw from the Brandywine battlefield. Perspective is actually something someone acquires through education, experience and a will to completely understand the situation.
I was a "Cold Warrior” and saw the Soviet might up close and personal during a time when we were not so strong under a weak minded (as you refer to them) "Kumbahyah Liberal". Jimmy Carter is still undermining our strength to this very day.
Anyway, I have a big disagreement with the prosecution of the war in Iraq by Rumsfeld. We needed to get things done much quicker with more troops to become an occupying force at first and then train the Iraqis while we still maintained an iron fist control on the streets and at the borders. How can we possibly train an Iraqi police or military when all the trainees are being blown up by truck and car bombs before they ever get to the street? They are being blown to pieces while standing in line to sign up because we haven’t maintained enough strength to cover the mission? Rumsfeld makes the same mistake many do, he underestimated the strength and will of a determined enemy and have not answered in kind.
The attention span of the American public is short due the poor education we have paid through our teeth for. They do not understand the depth and breadth of the people that want to kill us. Our enemies have been taught since they were children to hate America and the constant brainwashing of “Death to America” is coming to fruition. We have been too merciful on our enemies because of 24 hour news coverage. This is a struggle of survival and the Kumbahyas haven’t figured that out yet but it’s coming again. We are no longer isolated or protected by the sea as 9/11 2001 has demonstrated to us.
Jennifer, thank you for stopping by!
I agree with your assessment of the Rumsfeld Doctrine. It's supremely frustrating that with all the advanced technology our armed forces possess, we still can't stop some raghead with an RPG warhead and a bag of ball bearings. Conventional tactics aren't killing our troops- unconventional tactics are. This whole piecemeal commitment thing is not working. We need to go house to house and secure these places, and then KEEP them secure.
Should Rumsfeld step down? I don't know. I think it would depend on who this President would appoint to replace him. He could be the same temperament... or even worse. What are your thoughts regarding a potential replacement? I have come up with the same assessment as you as far as Rumsfeld's ability to head the DoD. We need an aggressive SecDef who will do whatever it takes to secure the AO. Then again, we also need a President aggressive enough to appoint and back such a guy.
BTW- I grew up in W.VA, and when I was a kid we went to Gettysburg. I did not understand much about it at the time, but I remember feeling like I was on holy ground. What an amazing heritage we have!
Please feel free to come on by any time!
Thanks for making me feel welcome William.
I don't have any names for a replacement for Rumsfeld at this point. I'm just getting back up to speed because I've been on political hiatas due to overload. Sometimes you just have to walk away and take a break and now I'm rested and ready for battle once again.
I'm going to look deeper into the prospects for the future of DoD but it will take me a little time because this isn't being talked about out in the open by top officials. It's getting too close to election time unfortunately and everyone is going to keep their mouths shut about any kind of failure or replacing a Republican stalwart like Rumsfeld. I don't dislike the man but his plans aren't working out so something has to change.
Anyway, I hope you will stop by my blog and comment on my ranting occasionally. I try to keep things interesting but I put myself to sleep sometimes 
I'd be glad to stop by. I'll post a link to your blog on my sidebar, too.
Keep the faith!
Nurse William, I saw where MamaBear recommended this post and I found it quite interesting. You pointed out what the media tries so hard to hide. Excellent post.
Thanks for stopping by, Politics! I appreciate your comments!
Commenting by HaloScan
