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Politics : Foreign Affairs Discussion Group -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: RMF who wrote (190547)	7/1/2006 7:36:47 PM
From: Hawkmoon	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 281500

The 150k troops would NOT have had to be "maintained" (it was a different situation from Iraq). Had we waited until we were able to amass 150K troop-strength for an Afghani operation, it would have needed to wait until the following Spring. That's why they opted to go with a SpecOps centric plan to overthrow the Taliban with internal forces comprising the N. Alliance and other "warlords". The same goes for the overthrow of Saddam. It required 7 months to position 500K in US forces in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia in 1990-91 for Desert Storm. Such an operation would hardly have been a "surprise" as OIF was. Saddam didn't believe we had the necessary forces in place to attack Iraq and that was a miscalculation on his part, IMO. It's just a MESS. On my part it's not just hindsight, cause I've said all along that using the Northern Alliance as mercenaries to run that war on the cheap would come back to bite us. I guess you should have gone to West Point so you'd be able to present better plans and operations. Hawk

To: RMF who wrote (190547)	7/3/2006 11:00:40 AM
From: michael97123	Respond to of 281500

"It's just a MESS......war on the cheap." This apparently is the rummy way with the military in both afganistan and iraq. FYI many neocons who supported both wars do not agree with the rummy way. I think the most important things to remember from here on in is to understand the importance of diplomacy, the limits of the military and private contractors in nation building, and the importance of being flexible in thinking and not being rigid or unable to admit mistakes. This administration has gone steadily down hill since its glorious moment in the wake of 9/11. The competent white guys became angry old men as their policies failed in succession. Look at cheney and rummy closely and you see guys who should be in retirment communities playing golf and not running the country. They are weary and the weary cant lead.