Quote:
Originally Posted by finnbow
If he bailed from Afghanistan in general and Tora Bora in particular because he felt that he had accomplished all the he planned to accomplish or could have accomplished, I'd agree. But he bailed in order to man up for the Iraqi invasion, an unnecessary, costly and continuing (mis)adventure.
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That's one way to look at it.
Another is, Al Qaeda was spread throughout the Middle East and beyond. Bin Laden was more of a spiritual advisor than a military advisor. And Tora Bora was a tough nut where we relied on supporting different factions against one another.
The invasion of Iraq, IMO, was an attempt to affect the mindset of the entire Middle East. An overly ambitious project, to be sure.
How did Machiavelli put it, "Nothing is more difficult, or more dangerous, or more unsure of success than to attempt to change the order of things."
Well, that's what Shrub did, and I doubt that he drew up the plans on his Etch-O-Sketch all by himself. Using crayolas because he was too stupid to use the knobs. I'm sure he had a lot of input from a lot of people, and not just only the so called neocons.
Obama's in the same place, and there is only so much he can do. Personally, I feel sorry for both of them, they both were presented with choices where there are no good answers.
I only hope it works. And I'm also growing very weary of all of the political finger pointing.
Would anyone here want the responsibility that goes with doing a better job?
Chas