freecounterpoint: Filkins in Afgh

Saturday, February 13, 2010

Filkins in Afgh

6 comments:

Tecumseh said...: Yes, I saw that piece yesterday. I meant to post it, excerpting this little gem: “We don’t want Falluja,” General McChrystal said in an interview this week. “Falluja is not the model.” With the obvious comment: McChrystal channels Rot. But then I gave up -- why refight the last war?; 2/13/2010 3:26 PM
Mr roT said...: Fallujah was in Nov-Dec 2004, when we still thought the thing to do was to burn a haystack to get rid of a couple needles.

I don't understand. Was I arguing then that this strategy was stupid? If so, I am smarter than I thought.; 2/13/2010 3:51 PM
Tecumseh said...: Yes, you were. And you were as wrong then, as now. Hah!; 2/13/2010 4:10 PM
Mr roT said...: Impressive. You one of the Gen. Betrayus guys on the right? You have to dig deep in Alabama for those, usually.

I see now why you "meant to post" this piece and then didn't. Surprised that you can feel shame after being wrong so much...; 2/13/2010 4:27 PM
Tecumseh said...: Define "wrong". It's all a matter of interpretation of what's the best tactics in any given situation -- not of whether one has the correct proof to a statement. At the time (in 2004) I was with the generals who wanted to clear up Fallajuh, one way or the other, after those goddamn terrorists killed, mutilated, burnt, and hanged from a bridge a bunch of Americans. I didn't care for Mirandizing the AQ guys holed up there, just mete out rough justice, and clear the town of those desperadoes. You, on the other hand, wanted to proceed slowly, very slowly, boots on the ground, take as many casualties as needed, but without making waves, or annoying anyone.

OK, two points of view. I still don't think it's settled which one was the "right" one, and which one was the "wrong" one. Sometimes, one approach works, sometimes, the other. In the end, it's the soldiers and officers on the ground who should make the call, since it's their butt on the line.; 2/13/2010 4:53 PM
Mr roT said...: I think I would leave the judgment to McChrystal, Petraeus, Odierno. They seem to have gotten it right while Rumsfeld's team got it wrong and are in the position to make decisions now informed by their own eyes and experience. Perhaps they'll blow it now. Hope not.

Yeh, I felt a fair amount of blood lust for those bastards and Zarky too in Fallujah days, but terrorists recruit from the populace and so you got to make them happy.

Scared isn't enough because terrorism isn't about confrontation, it's about suckerpunches.

Why am I arguing the obvious?; 2/13/2010 5:26 PM

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