OK, so by now, everyone's seen the pictures of what happened today, with literally hundreds of Iraqi citizens well, literally "doing their worst" to Americans working with the coalition.
Brig. Gen. Mark Kimmitt, said in a press conference today that "they're desperate to turn back the hands of time, and that just isn't gonna happen." ... Hey, Mark, I got a reality check for ya, are ya ready? It did happen.
The government would have you believe that "there's an overwhelming majority of folks who want us there". I'm sorry... if you can form a mob that big, and traipse around town unopposed, then I refuse to believe that this is some teeny tiny splinter minority. This is a real honest-to-goodness problem, not just a couple folks who are pissed off.
Meanwhile, the military personnel are getting slagged left and right in sneak attacks. Capt. Myle Hammon, USMC, told CBS "We consider that a lot of our enemies are cowards, in how they employ their tactics".
If by "coward", you mean "cunningly smart in choosing their battlefields and tactics to minimize losses to their side while maximising losses to our side," then I'd agree with you, Myle.
I'd also point out that by that definition, the U.S. Military have been cowards since their inception, since that's pretty much basic military doctrine.
Perhaps he would be happier if they lined up in bright red coats for him on the town square, in orderly lines and fired in predetermined volleys? You're an officer in the military for gods' sake, Hammond, don't be a moron. If you don't see that they're employing a fairly effective military tactic, please do the rest of the military a favor and get the hell out of country, because you're a disgraceful excuse for an officer to be that dense.
If our military and elected leaders are this much in denial about what's happening over there, there's going to be a lot more American blood spilled in vain.
In defense of my beloved Corps, the Marines have had very low casualties, because they're playing it pretty smart overall.
hmmm, launching cruz missiles from 100 miles away and dropping b0mbs from stealth air craft. There's a "brave" tactic.
We could always turn Baghdad into an ashtray.
I had a decent response written up yesterday on this post, but then killed it since it was getting late and I didn't want to post something I might not like later on....
In any conflict this happens. We saw it in Afghanistan, we saw it in the first Gulf War. The only difference today is that we have instantaneous access to information that was unthinkable ten years ago.
Gen. Kimmitt's comments are a bit absurd, but I also have to think that he's more playing to the Iraqi people at this point than the Monday morning quarterbacks over on this side of the pond.
Calling someone a moron who risks his life in service to his country - who's really the moron here, looked in the mirror lately?