“It appears we have appointed our worst generals to command forces, and our most gifted and brilliant to edit newspapers. In fact, I discovered by reading newspapers that these editor/geniuses plainly saw all my strategic defects from the start, yet failed to inform me until it was too late.
“Accordingly , I’m readily willing to yield my command to these obviously superior intellects, and I’ll, in turn, do my best for the Cause by writing editorials — after the fact.”
– Robert E. Lee in 1863
(Gouge: SC)
– Ward
Except any idiot (like me)could see in 2003 Iraq wouldn’t be a model of liberal democracy in one year.
But it didn’t stop Rumsfelf,you know:“they will welcome us with flowers.….“
Why the americans didn’t understand that despite their experience of guerilla is a mistery.
Well, Lee was one of the better Generals in History and I guess the quote was ironical.
After all, it’s obvious that not all journalists have a clue at all.
I once talked to the head of a newspaper of the more rserious kind. I told him that in all areas that I can cover with my hobbies, I see the same pattern. 1/3 correct, 1/3 wrong and 1/3 correct but utterly useless articles.
He told me that journalists are “universal dilettantes” and he was obviously satistfied with that situation.
By the way, politicians are just the same…
About the first comment:
Well, Iraq wasn’t the worst. National tradition in Afghanistan is to let invaders settle down in camps and then expell them suddenly once Afghans are tired of them and unite.
It was most silly to not leave Afghanistan quickly given what we know of military history (we … not necessarily those dumb people in command)…
Good Morning Folks,
To speak the unspeakable, General Robert E. Lee has to be one of the most overrated Generals in U.S. History or as one historian said decades ago here was 10% General and 90% Myth.
The only real difference between the current Wars in Afghanistan and Iraq is that unlike Lincoln, Wilson, FDR and Truman there has been no desire by the Bush White House to FIRE some of these Turkeys like Meyers, Abazad, Franks, Sanchez, Casey to name only a few less then outstanding Generals. Some like Marine General Conway who screwed up the Fallugah operation, turning the city over to old Saddam Baathists Milita, managed to even find promotion.
Of course the biggest screw up loser/winner so far has been General Petraeus who screded up badly as the CG of the 101st. Air Assault Div. then went back to Iraq with a third star and blotched the training of the Iraqi Army, only to be rewarded with a fourth star and over all command of the Iraqi theater.
Any quesses on what the good General can mess up now to get his Chairman of the Joint Chiefs appointment and replace another loser Marine General Peter Pace?
ALLONS,
Byron Skinner
Face it Lee, you lost. Big time.
Get over it.
And stop blaming the media for your failure, you’re setting a bad example.
Byron, that’s exactly what Lee was talking about. Thank you for the helpful illustration.
Wembley, read your history. The war wasn’t over in 1863. And it wasn’t Lee who cost the South the war.
Yeh, yeh. Same could be said for bloggers…Suggest that this new defensetech team cut the politics and stick with defense tech.
Lee says, “… these editor/geniuses plainly saw all my strategic defects from the start, yet failed to inform me until it was too late.“
But in this case, the leaders were informed repeatedly, publicly, by much of the world, before it even started.
Brian — doesn’t make any difference, Lee lost. Maybe it wasn’t his fault, but that doesn’t make any difference. He lost, and blaming the media doesn’t help.
btw, here in the UK we are celebrating the 200th anniversary of the abolition of slavery.
Davids — your idea sounds like a great recipe for inceasing support for the Jihad, both in Iraq and globally, and making the name of the US mud.
Springbored — Throwing in random political articles is a long-time defensetech tradition. They just come from a more even perspective now.
>Faluga? Should have done the same thing as Sherman did to Atlanta.
Yeah, summary retaliation really helped the Nazis crush the resistance in the occupied territories. Oh, wait…
While Lee’s right in general, and there have been lots of 20:20 hindsight articles on some specifics of US strategy, most of the fundamental flaws of the Iraq war had been pointed out, repeatedly, publicly, by experts with lots of experience in their field, *before* the invasion.
There’s a place where what David describes is going on right now. It’s called Darfur.
Initiating an offensive campaign against an enemy with superior industrial capacity was and still is stupid. It gives new meaning to the word “hind” sight.
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Dann sollte man doch lieber Spielzeug schenken wie einen Kaufmannsladen oder eine Ritterburg. Auch ein Bauernhof f
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