Well, I don't have any research to back it, but I'd bet my bippy that those positions are only held by a tiny minority of Americans.Originally Posted by Danny
Well, I don't have any research to back it, but I'd bet my bippy that those positions are only held by a tiny minority of Americans.
Steve, I agree with you IF
you add the words "who in some cases hold positions in the media, academia and politics and thus have some influence over what the rest of America may be inclined to think."
Ol' Ralph may be into hyperbole and invective but his basic positions are at least occasionally if not generally accurate and I've seen and heard everyone of those myths (to use his word); they are in various combinations the position of some and I've had arguments or discussions about most of them with a number of people That indicates to me they are not strawmen at all -- just uncomfortable for some.
I have to agree with Steve:
"If we fight as fiercely as our enemies, we're no better than them."
That's not what people are saying. They're saying "Torture is wrong and it doesn't work anyway."
"War doesn't change anything."
I don't know anyone who thought Chamberlain was right and Churchill was wrong.
"If we just leave, the Iraqis will patch up their differences on their own."
That's not what people are saying. They're saying. "Why should we spend $2 trillion in Iraq when we can't even secure our own borders?"
They're also saying there were no weapons of mass destruction, Iran is a bigger threat than Iraq, that we need more troops in Afghanistan and that troop deployments are too long and placing too large a burden on military families.
Depends on who you talk to and where, I suppose...
I've heard it both ways. I agree the majority of nay sayers are in the pot with you and Steve Metz -- but I also think my contention on who constitutes a part of that minority that corroborate Peters' myths is equally correct.
In any event, not much meat for a food fight, IMO...
The worth of a bippy ...
After spending a minute Googling the phrase "bet your sweet bippy ()" Steve, I have doubts that your or my bippy is worth enough to make the wager meaningful. We'll debate it over a beer if I ever meet you. At least beer is worth wagering.
I shouldn't get sucked into this and waste my time, instead I should take the dog for a walk, but if I can convince one person to think about the absurdity of this type of article, then maybe its worth it.
Myth No. 1: War doesn't change anything.
Of course it does, but not in predictable ways beneficial to anyone engaged in it. Therefore war should be avoided.
Myth No. 2: Victory is impossible today.
Victory is a meaningless term. It's a nominative word that has many meanings, unless a precise definition of an endpoint is attached, as in the agreed rules of a football game where the largest score when the bell rings defines the victor.
Unless an endpoint is defined in Iraq, or elsewhere, then Yes, victory is impossible today because its not defined. How many tons of rose petals would you like thrown? How many legions of cheering waving Iraqi civilians? Please be specific.
Myth No. 3: Insurgencies can never be defeated.
Of course they can be defeated, but not necessarily by the American military, an organisation that is uniquely designed, equipped and trained NOT to be able to deal effectively with counterinsurgency.
Myth No. 4: There's no military solution; only negotiations can solve our problems.
Experience of insurgency demonstrates that there is a political component of any solution (I won't call it victory) to insurgency. This requires dialogue and negotiation.
Myth No. 5: When we fight back, we only provoke our enemies.
Fight back against who? With what? Where? How much? Kill more kids and radicalise their families? How is that going to advance our cause in an insurgency?
Myth No. 6: Killing terrorists only turns them into martyrs.
Yes it does turn them into martyrs in the minds of some muslims as any perusal of Islamic literature or the internet will show. The trick in Iraq is convincing them that they will not be Martyrs but instead are committing shameful acts, as Col. Kilcullen is doing.
Myth No. 7: If we fight as fiercely as our enemies, we're no better than them.
So Al Ghraib, waterboarding, rendition and dropping 2000lb bombs on women and children is called "Fighting Fiercely"? I'd give it another name - dragging America's reputation through the mud.
Myth No. 8: The United States is more hated today than ever before.
No myth - read the Pew Global opinion surveys.
Myth No. 9: Our invasion of Iraq created our terrorist problems.
Yep, how do you reconcile this statement with the foreign Jihadist and Al Qaeeda in Iraq rhetoric?
Myth No. 10: If we just leave, the Iraqis will patch up their differences on their own.
I think they just might, because the alternative if we leave will be civil war.
Myth No. 11: It's all Israel's fault. Or the popular Washington corollary: "The Saudis are our friends."
One has to ask "who benefits?" from our invasion of Iraq, and what were the primary sources of so much disastrously wrong policy? Israel is not part of the solution.
Myth No. 12: The Middle East's problems are all America's fault.
No it's not all America's fault, but we have contributed our fair share of them.
The "problem" started with the partition of the old Ottoman empire after WW1 and the creation of Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Iran and modern Turkey.
They were compounded by the Balfour declaration creating a home for the Jews.
They were further compounded by our medlling in the area since about 1950.
The current mess in Iraq, and soon to be in Iran are all our own work however, and we should take credit for that.
Now it's time to walk the dog.....
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