The surge will fail. 30,000 troops? You're kidding. Ramping up to 500,000 maybe 2,000,000 is needed to control the country. A draft would be needed. And in the current political climate, snow in SoCal in July is more likely.
There's an assumption in that article: They won't follow us home. This is NOT Vietnam. There was never any danger the N. Vietnamese would attack the US after our withdrawal. The Islamofascist war started long before the Iraq war and could very well continue after. The only thing that MIGHT stop it is if we abandon Israel. And that is as likely as that draft.
What we are left with is the serious possibility of a major attack on the US- -say, an Iranian or Pak nuke in a leaky freighter's hold exploding in NYC's, LA's, or San Fran's Harbor. Millions dead. And a declaration of war. And we're back in.
Impossible, anyone say? It's happened before. Speculation is that OBL noted the US under Reagan pulled out of Lebanon after the Beirut bombing. Then Clinton pulled out of Somalia after "Blackhawk Down". "OH!", says OBL, "You kill a few Americans and they run!"
Darius attempted to invade ancient Greece and was forced to retreat. His som, Xerxes, wanted revenge for the insult. He attempted invasion with a pincer movement: across the Bosporus on a bridge of boats into northern Greece, combined with a landing by sea in southern Greece. His northern forces had to go through the narrow pass at Thermopylae, where they were held for days by a much smaller but better armed and disciplined Spartan force. The sea force was lured into a narrow strait by the much smaller Athenian navy and defeated. The invasion was called off. The greeks took note. Next thing the Persians knew, they had invaded and taken western Turkey (Ionia). Then came Alexander. Nothing stopped him. He destroyed the Persian Empire.
Rome was invincible- -till Hannibal showed it wasn't and rampaged through the Italian Peninsula. The the Huns advanced too, took, and sacked Rome itself. And that was but the beginning of barbarian invasions that destroyed western Roman power.
"Therefore, if it becomes accepted that the surge strategy has failed, the United States will have to fall back on strategic withdrawal. While that scenario will affect U.S. interests negatively, there will be no other options for the United States to pursue. Furthermore, the United States will still be able to protect its interests after it begins withdrawing troops from Iraq. It can monitor developments on the ground from secure bases, and work to influence political developments in the country. Its forces can continue to monitor the threat from al-Qaeda and other militant Islamist groups in Iraq and dispose of these enemies through small-scale raids and surgical strikes."
Like we stopped 911? |
