Surge This

While being a POW sucks, it doesn't make you any more an expert in military strategy than undergoing chemotherapy makes you an oncologist. I mean, seriously, we added troops and the violence went down? That's like you're hungry, you eat a cheeseburger, and you're suddenly not hungry. Genius.

Also, an increase in troops is hardly the only reason for the decrease in violence. And for that I'm going to need another analogy from my bag of...um, analogies. Allow me to present the greatest movie in the short-lived career of actor Chris Makepeace. That's right, I'm talking about "My Bodyguard."

Matt Dillon is the bully who wants Chris Makepeace to pay him protection money in order to protect him from... Matt Dillon. We are Chris Makepeace in this analogy (get it? Make Peace?). Matt Dillon is the "Sunni Insurgency." And what happened when Chris Makepeace decided to stop paying Matt Dillon? Matt Dillon kicked his ass. Chris Makepeace then had to hire Adam Baldwin, Matt Dillon then hired some other guy... and...well, that's where my analogy ends. Point is, you can only pay for so long. Eventually, you're gonna have to stop paying. And then what?

And let's not forget about the Sunni Awakening, a classic case of Sun Tzu's "The Enemy of My Enemy Is My Friend." Basically, tribal leaders in Anbar realized that there are people they hate more than us. This is what Obama has been saying all along - make the Iraqis realize that if they don't start defending their own country they're going to lose it to the real assholes.

The Surge is a myth. It didn't work by a stroke of genius and it didn't work by itself. It's a cheeseburger. And along with fries and a coke (and Our Bodyguard) it did the job for now. (Note to reader: please spare me the comments about how callous I am. I know that human lives are not the same thing as a Happy Meal. I'm not a jackass. Usually.)

Calling John McCain an expert on military strategy because he was a pilot and a POW is about as accurate as calling Sarah Palin an expert on energy because she lives next to an oil pipeline. It's ludicrous. Not to mention, irrelevant. A president doesn't need to be a general. In fact, our forefathers designed it so that he wouldn't be. That's why we don't live in a banana republic (yet), with presidents who wear uniforms (like Saddam Hussein).

A president needs to know the difference between getting military advice and permitting the military to replace civilian leadership. A president needs to be sophisticated and thoughtful, needs to see the war in the context of the larger world, needs an understanding of law and history, and needs to possess genuine confidence based on knowledge, intelligence, and humility. Kinda like Sarah Palin.

Comments

[ThoughtAboutIt]

"Kinda like Sarah Palin."

That last line made me laugh!!

Country First for the Palins means Alaska and the Alaska Independence Party. Their ideal American Flag has 49 stars.

[CanisLatrans]

The success of the surge is nothing more than a tacit admitting that we went in with insufficient troop strength in 2003. Bring in sufficient troops in 2007 does not make up for that painful, bloody, 4-year learning curve we had to endure in the interim. If that's McCain's idea of a grand strategy, we cannot afford too many more "victories" like this under his watch.

But what can one expect? McCain wasn't successful; he got shot down. That's not usually a "goal" in pilot school. However, this is a realm of politics where a guy who actually fought hard and fought well in a war (John Kerry, who at least brought back the taxpayer's boat when he was done with it) is a "coward" while a draft-dodging pansy (Cheney) and a responsibility-ducking wanna-be pilot (Bush) are considered "patriots".

[cetchingham]

right on!. furthermore, there were some other ongoing covert ops, (strongly) hinted at by bob woodward in his new book and accompanying interviews, as strategic elimination of the worst of the troublemakers. no one's admitting to anything specific -- that i have seen -- but a cheeseburger and a shot will take care of your hunger AND your bad mood. temporarily, at least.

[free2u]

One of the things that bothers me about John McCain when he talks about the surge is that he says it is working and now our troops can return home with honor.Honor is not about winning or losing,it is about serving.Barack Obama has never talked about conceding defeat,but about turning over the country to it's own people in a responsible way.We have been there to long and it is there responsibility to run and protect their own country.The time to come home is now,we have lost enough soldiers !!

[NoMoFearNoMoHate]

I believe that Sun-Zu also said you have conceded defeat the moment that you step on the field of battle as no one wins in war...

[OutragedMom]

McCain, as usual, speaks out of both sides of his mouth. "The surge is working!" he exclaims. But, when trying to differentiate himself from Obama: "Obama would have us concede defeat". If it's working, how can pulling out be defeat? Of course, we never really knew what would define "victory."

[Yawnoc]

In light of recent remarks from Bob Woodward, wouldn't it appear that the surge had little impact on the level of violence; wasn't it the targeted assassinations that caused the downturn

[LeftRight]

Actually, the surge is more like you pay the bully to not beat you up while you bulk up to beat him up. Then you get lazy and you don't bulk up, and eventually run out of money......

Or like eating a cheeseburger while you wait for the harvest to come, in early January, and then you forget to PLANT the crops.....

[karloff]

How much taxpayer money went to bribing Iraqi clerics to end their squirmishes. You never saw John Wayne do that in any of his movies.