Quote Originally Posted by Dayuhan View Post
One way to assure bad policy decisions is to stop questioning decisions and to stop challenging the assumptions behind policy.
No argument there. You should care about politics, because politics does care about you.
Fine. Are you a soldier? I am not, and I see no reason not to question policy.
Not a soldier anymore and a remarkably mediocre one when I was. As I say, you should question policy - BUT - you are entering the realm of political argument. Arguing about politics is, to my mind, a pretty fruitless exercise.
My concern is "strategy and tactics." Tis what I study and write about. It stands entirely separate from my political beliefs - which I take care not to inflict on other, unless forced, as in denied a legitimate status.
If we are mucking about in a foreign country in pursuit of a policy, and the populace or a substantial portion thereof finds that policy objectionable enough to warrant violent resistance, are you not prepared to even consider the possibility that the policy is the problem?
OK, but those are entirely political opinions. What actions make the US more or less safe is not a set of objective conditions. It is opinions based in political belief. Strategy and tactics stands apart from that.
We are amusing ourselves here, not exerting influence.
My comment was about policy makes in general and not your or my opinion specifically, but I concur. Neither of us is going to alter the price of bread in Khandahar anytime soon.

...but I do know that some of what gets written here does make serving men think, and some influential people do read this. Be assured, I do not delude myself as to the merit of anything I write. I use SWJ as a mental running track, to hone arguments and ideas, and am very grateful to those who challenge me in a useful way.