Just because the French failed is no reason for Americans to fail. — Famous American General in Vietnam
Just because we have not won yet is no reason why we will not win soon. — Famous American General in Iraq
In secret budgets, the US paid for the futile efforts of the French to defeat Vietnamese insurgents. “Ah, but they were the French. We are Americans,” more than one general and defense secretary intoned. From 1960 to ignominious defeat 15 years later, the US failed to defeat the Vietnamese, despite committing 500,000 troops and spending billions of dollars. “But,” the generals said, “we won every battle. The politicians lost the war.” When the war is lost in Iraq, if it is not already lost, American generals will say much the same thing. Of course politicians are military ignoramuses. Yet, then why do not the generals object to the politician’s wars of choice? That is another dreary story rife with ambition and hubris. Here I intend to propose a military solution to the war in Afghanistan by using Israel’s strategy in Palestine as a model. American politicians never criticize Israel, so they will not interfere with military solutions no matter how harsh or extreme they may seem to armchair warriors.
