Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Undertoad
That's still bullshit. You could pick ten different metrics and they could all be wrong. Setting such things is micromanagement, and complaining about such things is entirely political.
|
Sure, there's no upper limit to the number of wrong or inappropriate measures. But I'm not talking about micromanaging the war. That's not my department. We have competent military planners that understand far more about military strategy than I do.
I believe those same planners understand much more about military strategy than those in the uppermost levels of this administration do. I also believe those planners work for, answer to the administration. As such, the administration is entitled/obligated to set the goals and the military is obligated to establish the means, the strategy. The administration is entitled to know what the strategy is, and have it explained as to how it achieves their goals.
Furthermore, I believe that the administration works for, answers to me, and to you. It's not an academic notion, it's not fantastic. It's real. They *do* work for us. And we're not getting the same satisfaction. We are entitled to know what the goals are, and what the strategies are to reach those goals. Just tell the truth, for cryin out loud.
Why not? Why not?! When I'm in a situation where I'm tempted to withhold the truth it's because I'm worried something bad will happen, like I'll get caught in the wrong, or that the truth will hurt. There are other motivations for withholding the truth, and I think this administration is not telling the truth. This makes we wonder about the truth I feel I'm not hearing *and* the reasons why not. I think I have a lot of company in this regard.
Let the military tell us what the metrics are. When will they know they can come home? Is sharing that somehow aid and comfort to the enemy? Will our soldiers stay and stay and stay with no sign of leaving and then vanish in the middle of the night, so as to keep the withdrawal a "secret"? To what purpose?
I think about why we get the communication and the lack of communication we suffer...I think about why the reasons changed so much, and with so little acknowledgment of the changes, just flat ignoring the changes. Why? The theory that feels the most reasonable and is at the same time the saddest is that they're winging it. Tap dancing. Making it up as they go along. I resist (with only partial success) the more dramatic conspiracy theories.
What is the truth and why have we had to wait so long to hear it? That's what I want to know.