Quote Originally Posted by Tom Odom View Post
While I agree that the only applicable defintion of "victory" that means anything in Iraq is restoration of the state---in other words putting it back to where it was when we started--I also believe the likelihood of that happening is small.

But Lind in his ever present push for 4GW theory now proposes putting Al Sadr in charge as the man most likely to succeed is stunning. Whether you find it stunning in its brilliance or its stupidty is up to you.

I would pick stupidity and suggest Lind link up with Diana West.

Tom
I can't figure out the motives of people like Lind and Luttwak with his "kill them all and plow salt into the earth" counterinsurgency strategy.

West I can understand--she knows she isn't trying to actually influence policy but is just trying to sell papers. So like Michael Moore, Limbaugh, Coulter, etc., she realizes that utter nonsense will appeal to some.

But Lind (and Luttwak) I would think actually want to be taken seriously by policymakers. Writing stuff like this erodes that possibility. What worries me is that while most people who are in a position to influence policy realize that West, Coulter, Limbaugh etc are entertainers and not policy analysts, there are people who take Lind (and Luttwak) seriously.