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publiusdetroit

Listed below are comments made by publiusdetroit between Wednesday, 2nd December 2009 and Wednesday, 2nd December 2009 (20 Hours Ago) .

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Rhetoric of reassurance 10:53pm on 02 Dec 2009 Ref 104 GH1618

Good article on General Schwarzkopf you to which you linked.

If General McCrystal can constantly, almost seamlessly adapt to changing conditions as well as 'Stormin' Norman did upon arrival in Saudi Arabia with too few troops to handle an immediate invasion from the Iraqi forces, then the plan our President outlined has a fighting chance of success.

It may also do well for the citizens of the U.S.A. who follow and post on this blog to remember the overwhelming support we, as a nation, gave to our President, his Commanding General, and all the troops so that they could complete the planned objective in the Persian Gulf War.

Let's see you tie your yellow ribbons, once again, around every tree, lamppost, flagpole, war memorial, entire buildings...like you did back in the days of the Persian Gulf War. Better yet; help the military families struggling to make ends meet while their soldier is stationed in a combat zone. Word will get back to the soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan. They will then know that they are being supported at home.
Rhetoric of reassurance 10:08pm on 02 Dec 2009 Ref 102 InterestedForeigner-

"At the time, during a TV press briefing, General Schwarzkopf called the decision to halt 15 minutes short of Baghdad "fateful"."

Norman Schwarzkopf knew he said a mouthful in that single word.

As a long term student of military tactics and history, I would have loved to have seen the double envelopment completed before the remnants of the Iraqi Nation Guard units could escape the pocket. Nothing less than a brilliant, well-executed maneuver by the Coalition Forces made the total envelopment a distinct possibility, only needing fifteen minutes (or so) more time before the truce.

If one is aware of the communications logjam taking place during the hours leading up to assigning time for a truce; then one can forgive what may seem to be a gross error, or complete negligence, or a conspiracy to leave the war unfinished. I believe all of the Generals on the field confirmed this in their autobiographies of the war.

As a husband of a U.S. Army nurse in the arena of battle, all I wanted was for my wife to come home alive and well. I do not think I would be out of line to speak for military families in saying that we all wanted the war to end as quickly as the mission could be successfully completed.

George H. Bush was an excellent Commander in Chief. His troops loved him. Bush the Elder chose an superlative commanding General in Norman Schwarzkof and supported him in great fashion. The military is a tool used to gain political objectives. It still comes down to politicians calling the overall shots.

A brilliant achievement marred by one, failed communication in what is know as the "fog of war".

Still does leave one to wonder; what would have happened if the Presidential election was to take place 6 months after the Persian Gulf War, as opposed to a couple years?

This brings us back to the speculation that Barack Obama is using the 18 month date for the beginning of troop withdrawal as a political tool for re-election. Also illustrates how easily things can go wrong in a war; thus, why it would be foolish to consider such an adventure for the purpose of re-election.
Rhetoric of reassurance 9:14pm on 02 Dec 2009 Ref 100 CuriousAmerican-

"You forgot the real issue was the Perot was the trick used to syphon off votes from Bush 41 to get Clintion the victory but not the majoriy of votes. If memory serves, it was around 45%."

Perot was a spoiler during the 1992 elections. Perot was addressing that great "sucking sound" of jobs going south of the border because of the North American Trade Agreement he opposed. Once again, a domestic issue that came to the focus during the long days of campaign after the successful military mission in the Persian Gulf. The U.S. was going through a mild recession. Pocketbooks voted.

Consider if the elections took place right after the Persian Gulf War. George H. Bush had an 89% approval rating. Would any potential candidate stand a chance against such a high approval rating? One can only speculate that an 89% approval rating would carry over into the voting booth to bring about a landslide win for the sitting President.
Rhetoric of reassurance 8:09pm on 02 Dec 2009 Ref 83 CuriousAmerican-

"Its not about speaches...its not about politics...it's not about getting re-elected to some stupid political party...its about doing the right thing for american...regardless of the personal consequences..."

I have noted before that all wars are political in nature. Unfortunately, one cannot separate the politics of re-election from war.

Case in point:

George H. Bush led the nation during the successful Persian Gulf Wars. His polling figures skyrocketed after the swift completion of the well stated objective of removing the Iraqi army from Kuwait.

Unfortunately for George H., the war ended well before the next election cycle came around for him to benefit from that victory. Domestic issues whittled away at his popularity in the polls. The continued problems in Iraq caused the U.S. public to forget what was the stated mission in Iraq, and began to see the successfully concluded mission as a failure.

Both political machines took note of this when George H. lost the re-election.

I will not speculate that "beginning" to withdraw troops does not, in someway, correlate with parts of the President's plan in a way that could be thought helpful to his re-election. I do think that it will be quite skillful if the war in Afghanistan can be successfully ended in time to result in the re-election of Obama from a mass euphoria at the polls.

The U.S. troops in Europe during WWII were certain they would be back home for Christmas after the break-out from the Normandy beaches. Bastogne sobered that dream. The troops in Korea kept looking for a truce which only seemed to need a couple strokes of an ink pen.

I have to agree with colonelartist on this point. Wars are fought by two sides. One never knows when the other will lay down their arms.

Planning the end of a war to specifically correlate with an election cycle is political Russian roulette.
Rhetoric of reassurance 7:15pm on 02 Dec 2009 Ref 69 CuriousAmerican

"Guilty as charged on the exaggeration. My wife has the same observation."

I hope you will know that I share your frustration and anger with this war in Afghanistan and how it has been waged.

While I was at home with our child, and my wife was half way around the world dodging SCUD missiles and treating wounded soldiers from both sides, I had come up with a 10 point peace plan that was based solely on the use of nuclear warheads. A plan ill conceived with hot emotions, frustration, and anger.

I too would like to see a plan where we could "hurry up and get it done and do it right". The soldiers and their families I work with also share that hope. Multiple deployments to combat theaters are creating a hidden monster that our soldiers and their families try to overcome between each new deployment. Many do not.

There are some big ifs in this current plan the President outlined. Pakistan being one of the biggest ifs. The Afghanistan government being the other big ifs. Those two factors, in themselves, will be the determining factors in the success, or failure of the President's current mission.

Thank you for seeing the irony with my exclusion of the minor children of your family as members of the military. In a very real way; they are members of the military. They are the ones struggling with the constant fear of losing a parent, as their young minds and bodies grow at incredible rates; every aspect of their young lives bombarded with change and confusion. I know. I raised a three-year old child under those awful conditions. Not easy; but I am happy to say that he is now a successful young man attending college.
Rhetoric of reassurance 6:38pm on 02 Dec 2009 Ref 64 CuriousAmerican-

"This is NOT what he said...why do libs hear just what they want?"

The following words are taken directly from the Presidents speech:

"...as commander-in-chief, I have determined that it is in our vital national interest to send an additional 30,000 US troops to Afghanistan. After 18 months, our troops will begin to come home."

The President stated that the troops will "begin to come home" after 18 months. The key word there is, "begin". I find no mention of a specific time period when all troops will be withdrawn from Afghanistan. There are a number of conditions laid out in the speech which, when met, will precipitate total withdrawal. There are specific requirements and standards that the Afghanistan government must meet before all our forces are withdrawn.

The President also reiterated:

"Let me be clear: none of this will be easy. The struggle against violent extremism will not be finished quickly, and it extends well beyond Afghanistan and Pakistan."

Are you hearing only what you wish to hear?
Rhetoric of reassurance 6:00pm on 02 Dec 2009 Ref 50 CuriousAmerican-

"Actually my entire family on both sides are in all branches of the armed services, for several generations."

I would like to pay homage to your entire family serving in the U.S. military. I do presume that the minor children in the family are not yet in uniform. That would be an extreme measure of patriotism.

Then; I have noticed you do have a tendency to exaggerate.
Rhetoric of reassurance 5:34pm on 02 Dec 2009 Ref 44 InterestedForeigner-

Thank you for your support. It is always good to hear from you.
Rhetoric of reassurance 5:22pm on 02 Dec 2009 Ref 42 CuriousAmerican-

I have not drunk kool-aid since I was a child, many years ago.

I had a wife who served as a nurse in the U.S Army during the Persian Gulf War. She was stationed in a hospital in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. You may recall that Dhahran was one of the chief SCUD missle targets. Our child and I have lived with her terrible, continuing Post-Truamatic Stress (PTSD) episodes. I work with families of veterans suffering from PTSD; not only from the Persian Gulf War, but also from Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan; even Korea. Trying to help them understand and come to grips with PTSD.

No. I do not see this as "some political game". It is very real to me. I hear the screams in the night. I get the frantic telephone calls at all hours of the day and night asking for my help.

I hold all Presidents accountable; as well as Congressional Representatives and members of the Supreme Court. It does not matter to me whether they are Democrat nor whether they are Republican. Their duty is to serve in the best interest of our country while upholding the Constitution of the United States of America.

How about yourself? Do you have any family members in the U.S. military?
Rhetoric of reassurance 4:09pm on 02 Dec 2009 Ref 26 CuriousAmerican-

"[N]ever send a college professor/community organizer to do anything important..its all talk and half measures....what do they know about the real world? He's spent his entire life in a make-believe world of theory and radical leftest politics."

It was only this past Monday you had posted on another thread that 100% of the West Point cadets disagreed with the President. Did you notice after his speech last night how many of those cadets were eagerly pressing together in an effort to shake the President's hand and have their picture taken with him? Did you see that their Commander and Chief was just as eager to shake their hands and pose for as many pictures with the cadets as he could before his departure?

Certainly not a sign of disagreement.

Are you not the one who posted that 95% of those West Point cadets are barely old enough to vote? Did you notice that these cadets had reached the age of majority? They were not minors? Well over 95% of these young men and women are fully old enough and able to vote?

Leaves one to wonder what you really know about the real world.

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