Rumsfeld Says He Won't Step Down [1]
It wasn't a mistake to go into Iraq. It was a mistake to go in with Rumsfeld's army.
Rumsfeld has been trying to slim down our armed forces; to change them into a more agile and mobile force. The main characteristics of this futuristic force was laid out in his "Seven Points" speech [2].
The main characteristic was a small force that was able to home in on the enemy and call in high-tech resources:
On the appointed day, one of their teams slipped in and hid well behind the lines, ready to call in airstrikes, and the bomb blasts would be the signal for others to charge. When the moment came, they signaled their targets to the coalition aircraft and looked at their watches. Two minutes and 15 seconds, 10 seconds -- and then, out of nowhere, precision-guided bombs began to land on Taliban and al-Qaeda positions. The explosions were deafening, and the timing so precise that, as the soldiers described it, hundreds of Afghan horsemen literally came riding out of the smoke, coming down on the enemy in clouds of dust and flying shrapnel. A few carried RPGs. Some had as little as 10 rounds for their weapons. And they rode boldly -- Americans, Afghans, towards the Taliban and al Qaeda fighters. It was the first cavalry attack of the 21st century.Impressive indeed. A sure way to win battles.
But winning battles does not equate to winning the war. The Army generals have it right: You have to take and hold ground, and only a soldier with a rifle can do that.
So, it was not a mistake to go into Iraq. It was a mistake to go in with Rumsfeld's army.
So, here is Rumsfeld's mobile and agile army running here and there in Iraq putting out fires. Winning battles, if you like. But, are our brave men, starved of resources, capable of winning the war?
Tag: Iraq
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