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Politics : View from the Center and Left -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Bearcatbob who wrote (69593)	5/31/2008 10:02:16 AM
From: Dale Baker	Respond to of 542193

It means we have to change our role. We seem to want to help the world - in good ways or bad ways. We will have to say we cannot get involved and let others take care of things in their neighborhoods. Unless I wasted a lot of time in international security studies courses, the issue is much more complex than the simple imagery you have painted about weakness and withdrawal. You would do better to find some articles on the US strategic posture going forward and work from an analysis of threats, interests and possible US responses. That would tell you if we can protect our vital interests with fewer men and arms than today. The problem with this issue is that it gets discussed in non-specific (and frankly amateurish) terms like BIG military and SMALL military for a STRONG country or a WEAK country, all emotional buttons to push but useless for actual policy planning. Would engineers approach a project that way? Should be build a BIG STRONG bridge or a WEAK LITTLE one? Of course not. They design things to fit needs and demands. This ties into the point I made about Iraq and the ME yesterday; when there is a constant crazy kaleidoscope of changing threats and reasons and rationales, you don't know who to attack with what or why you are doing it. We flop around like a fish on a dock and never accomplish a focused strategy. What we need from Obama or McCain is rational military planning going forward. I believe you will find some of that on Obama's Web site with troop level specifics. Dunno about McCain, because his stance on Iraq means we just keep pouring men and money into that rathole.