Quote Originally Posted by Ken White View Post

While I agree with his last sentence and think the penultimate one is correct, I also think '"crushing defeat" is, umm, excessive...
I have to agree with you that “crushing defeat” is excessive, yet both our enemies and any potential allies might well interpret it exactly that way. Seems to me that insurgency relies upon political theater and perceptions at least as much as any military capabilities or victories. If the world ends up believing that we are paper tigers then much of our deterrent capability is lost.