Presidential Debate -- Claim by Kerry
Okay, there was one big claim by Kerry during the debate that drives me absolutely crazy everytime I hear it, so I will post it here with the understanding that I am biased in this topic...Kerry claimed that the President rushed into war without a clear plan and without a clear plan for the peace strategy. This really is not a dig at the current President, but a statement that negatively reflects on the preparation by the military.
First, I have a real problem with the word "rushed." The U. S. military has been actively preparing for a second invasion of Iraq since the Operation Desert Storm. Even during the Clinton administration Marine Corps units were practicing a movement from California through the desert to Arizona. Hmmm....wonder what we were preparing for? And part of the strategic preparation ALWAYS considers what happens after conflict. We have been changing doctrine for years that considers what we call the modern day three-block war where on one block we are engaging the enemy, at the other block we are defending military or civilian assets, and on the third we are involved in a humanitarian mission such as feeding a population.
Kerry then cited a statistic that was chilling in the way it was spinned. He said that we have now suffered 90% of the casualties in Iraq. Unless a viewer was really paying attention, the statistic seemed to indicate that we have lost 90% of the entire casualty count when he is in fact referring to 90% of the coalition casualty count where we were by far the majority of coalition forces. This seems extremely strange coming from someone who participated in then opposed a war that was lost and in which media "body counts" played a horrible role.
Finally, there was another common reference to the lack of attention paid to Osama Bin Laden and the operations in Afghanistan. I wonder how the individual soldiers and Marines stationed in Afghanistan feel hearing that someone behind a podium feels that they've lost focus? Oh but I'm sure they didn't hear it because they were out on patrol in the mountains.
I really just not a big fan of a senatorial armchair quarterback in this case. No matter what I or anyone else thinks of many facets of the last four years of presidency, as a Marine I believe in the calls made by Bush as the commander-in-chief, in large part because he delivered a clear commander's intent and allowed the military leaders to carry out the mission. That's all we need.
SDH
posted by Anonymous @ 7:58 PM
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