Quote Originally Posted by RTK View Post
He then told me that the only way to win was to kill as many insurgents as possible. It was then and there I decided LTG Sanchez was out of touch and clearly didn't get it.
With all due respect to high ranking officers, the days are long gone that 'in touch' could accurately describe any of them. Although, the oblivious nature that your anecdote describes is particularly egregious, all members of upper echelons rely primarily on the reports that lower echelons send them. Therefore, the emphasis, to them, will always be on reportable information.

Gone are the days of generals leading charges, or marching at the heads of troop formations. When they do get down to the lower echelons security is so tight they can't possibly see what is going on. Not to mention that no lower level commander wants to be seen as a buffoon, and therefore will try and make things as nice as possible for the visiting brass. (Not a jab, everyone does it.) Besides, visiting the front lines gets in the way of power Point Presentations.

While it is frustrating to see that people who could have made a difference are passing blame, it is indicative of higher level problems. 1) No one seems able to crack the mold of previous thinking to try truly innovative strategies. 2) Everyone is more afraid of the 'investigative society' in which we live than the actual and immediate repercussions of their actions.