Question: Why was the administration so slow in responding to the crisis in Iraq?
Jim Woolsey: I don’t know. The U.S. historically has reacted pretty quickly, at least in modern times, to changes in enemy tactics. We didn’t fight well on land for the first year of World War II for ‘42, much in neither North Africa or the islands like Tarhuna, but we got better fast because the military is very candid in their after actions reports and the things that have to be corrected. Lincoln, it took him two years to get his strategy and his general right, and he almost lost the 1864 election to McClellan. If Sherman hadn’t burned Atlanta, he probably would have. So that was a close one. But Vietnam, it took them over three years in one way or another to give up on search and destroy, and to move toward clear and hold strategy that made it possible for Abrams really to defeat the Viet Cong. People forget that in ‘73 the Viet Cong were essentially defeated. There was a pretty decent peace treaty with the north. That’s what led to the exchange of prisoners, all of that. The Viet Cong didn’t defeat South Vietnam or the United States. What won the Vietnam War for the North was a main force, armored invasion of the south in ’75. And the U.S. was so war-weary by that point that Congress didn’t support even using air forces and air power to help hold them off, and they defeated the south Vietnamese. But I guess what one would conclude from that is that if you can make all your changes in the first year of a war – these are very rough historical analogies – you can probably start winning. You can probably keep the American people’s support. Two years is right at the margin, but three years is a very long time of continuing to fight a losing strategy. And that’s what Johnson did with Westmorland in the Vietnam War, and that’s what Bush has done with his generals in this war. Three years is very, very hard to come back from.
Recorded on: 7/2/07
Discuss
Craig Loewen on February 24, 2008, 4:41 PM
Well, if you look at 'Everyone should go and embrace each other because we are all human' Is not how human beings are programmed to act. If T.V, books, and life have taught me anything, people always want that 'Gold Star Sticker' Or to be in the spotlight. Therefore (Ergo) we, humans, always differ, as compare ourselves to eachother. (How much do you weigh?
Do you like this artist?)
If you like a band, let's say… Heavy German industrial, you want people to know, which makes you have an 'Identity'. Have you ever said, 'Remember that one kid?' 'Who?' 'The kid who liked Heavy German Industrial!' 'Oh.' People want to be known for their best, or favourite character trait. They don't want to be known as 'That fat kid' Or that ugly kid. So we should instead, keep on going the way we are, just give the people a nice 'Nickname' Or 'Identity' Instead of 'Fat kid'.
J Loewe on February 24, 2008, 5:05 PM
Embrace our differences…multiculturalism has been encouraging this and it's a nice concept but it's more about accepting difference. Rejecting difference means getting everyone to be the same which is dull.
I like the word embrace. I wish that could be the case that we can love each others differences, much like the original Star Trek show was teaching.
My fear is from other cultures wanting me to accept their differences by making me take them on as mine.
I agree with Rofflcopter that there interesting and nice ways to highlight our differences in our identity.
Craig Loewen on February 24, 2008, 9:41 PM
Well, if you look at ‘Everyone should go and embrace each other because we are all human’ Is not how human beings are programmed to act. If T.V, books, and life have taught me anything, people always want that ‘Gold Star Sticker’ Or to be in the spotlight. Therefore (Ergo) we, humans, always differ, as compare ourselves to eachother. (How much do you weigh?
Do you like this artist?)
If you like a band, let’s say… Heavy German industrial, you want people to know, which makes you have an ‘Identity’. Have you ever said, ‘Remember that one kid?’ ‘Who?’ ‘The kid who liked Heavy German Industrial!’ ‘Oh.’ People want to be known for their best, or favourite character trait. They don’t want to be known as ‘That fat kid’ Or that ugly kid. So we should instead, keep on going the way we are, just give the people a nice ‘Nickname’ Or ‘Identity’ Instead of ‘Fat kid’.
J Loewe on February 24, 2008, 10:05 PM
Embrace our differences…multiculturalism has been encouraging this and it’s a nice concept but it’s more about accepting difference. Rejecting difference means getting everyone to be the same which is dull.
I like the word embrace. I wish that could be the case that we can love each others differences, much like the original Star Trek show was teaching.
My fear is from other cultures wanting me to accept their differences by making me take them on as mine.
I agree with Rofflcopter that there interesting and nice ways to highlight our differences in our identity.
S K on March 14, 2008, 8:42 AM
I don't think it's as cut and dry as either reject or embrace. I think people, in general, should be more open-minded. I don't think differences make people better, I think open minds make people better. Mark is different from Matt, because Mark has a temper – we shouldn't embrace that, not at all, but we shouldn't reject it, either. Not just that, but embrace vs reject isn't exactly a common thought or choice in the human mind when it comes to differences. Just because we should do something, doesn't mean we can, and/or doesn't mean it's that easy to just start.
S K on March 14, 2008, 12:42 PM
I don’t think it’s as cut and dry as either reject or embrace. I think people, in general, should be more open-minded. I don’t think differences make people better, I think open minds make people better. Mark is different from Matt, because Mark has a temper – we shouldn’t embrace that, not at all, but we shouldn’t reject it, either. Not just that, but embrace vs reject isn’t exactly a common thought or choice in the human mind when it comes to differences. Just because we should do something, doesn’t mean we can, and/or doesn’t mean it’s that easy to just start.
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