Quote Originally Posted by MikeF View Post
...In the broader context, our previous IO campaign reflected a self-absorbed reaction to radical Islamist. After the shock of 9/11, we immediately asked, "why do they hate us?" In some weird, collective form of compartmentalized psychosis, a temporary disassociation with reality, we questioned our own identity, and we felt the need to justify democracy, capitalism, and liberalism.
What's this "we" stuff? I truly do not know -- and have never heard -- anyone outside of the media and the vales of academe ask that question, not once. Neither of those institutions shapes America nearly as much as they'd like -- or like to think they do. Most Americans, in the immortal words of Christie Blatchford, "...don't give a rat's ass about what the rest of the world thinks about them."
We acted rash, and we never considered that the attacks had nothing to do with us. Despite the rhetoric of AQ, we were never the problem.
Unsure of your meaning here. In one sense, I agree but I think the so-called AQ effect included us though not because they hate us. Nor, IMO, did we act rashly; we had contended with probes and minor attacks, worldwide, from the ME through four Presidents from both parties over 22 years. I see nothing rash, merely a long overdue if not best planned (and whose fault is that?) response.
The GWOT further schismed the US populace into partisan factions- everyone was angry; everyone blamed Bush...
Further being a relative term; the schism occurred in the late 60s and had just been getting progressively more vocal. As much or more of that due to the increased ability to broadly communicate (and a lessening of social constraint on invective) as to a deepening rift. Had the GWOT (an admittedly dumb term in any event) been precipitated by Al Gore, the flow of criticism would have been reversed, it would not have been stilled.
...Thankfully, we are beginning to stop blaiming ourselves for the world's ills.
Aging will do that Fear not, happens to all of us. Liberating feeling, too.
I used to concur with GEN Powell's pottery barn analogy, but the ME was broken long ago.
That was never a good metaphor or plan -- and the ME is not broken, it works; it's just very, very different.
...with the selfishness and pragmatism of the ME. We simply have to acknowledge that their failures are not our responsibility nor causation.
I'd also suggest that to look upon that or those things as failure(s) is possibly not conducive to a sensible and successful approach to operating in the ME. Again, I think it's not wrong, just very different. Judge the ME on western standards and the probability of failure in getting anything done there declines precipitously.
...hope that a mass tactical jump lies shortly in my future...
Now that do sound like more fun...