Re: [MLUG - DISCUSSION] [POLITICS] attacking Iran?

["Jonathan King" <EMAIL:PROTECTED>]

On 9/2/07, Mike Miller <EMAIL:PROTECTED> wrote:
> I don't know what to believe, but here's the current #1 on Reddit:
>
> http://politics.reddit.com/goto?id=2kxog

I don't think there is any question that one wing of the Executive
Branch (the one led by Cheney) wants to do this as soon as possible.
The big reason why it is a fantastically bad idea is nicely stated in
the article you cite:

# "But if you asked any of the flight officers whether they have a clear idea
# of what the goal of this strike is, your answer would sound like something
# out of a think tank policy paper. But it's not like Kosovo or when we
# relieved the tsunami victims. There everyone could tell you in a sentence
# what we were here doing."

You have no business involving the military in anything if the reason
you are fighting is so nebulous. In particular, how could you possibly
know that you have won? There are many serious issues with the war we
have staged in Iraq, but by far the most serious one at this point is
precisely that we cannot even agree to identify or stick to benchmarks
for victory, success, or even progress. This is leaving aside any
consideration of whether the overall general idea is reasonable, by
the way. If you don't have clear, operational criteria for success or
failure, you are inviting disaster.

jking

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