Quote:
Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce
It took enormous guts to take the job at this stage of the war, when it’s like an airplane with one of the wings blown off, and there is this pilot in the back of the airplane who easily could have parachuted out the back—where some of the others already have gone—but instead he says, “I can still fly this thing!” Had David Petraeus jumped and landed safely, he’d still have been one of the few who could land with a sterling reputation after his previous commands here.
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Yon forgot one important fact. Had Petraeus not taken command, then his military career was done. IOW he repeatedly made the point. He cannot win this war. He can only achieve tactical victories and only in limited locations. Petraeus had a choice. End his carrer. Or declare up front that he could not win this war so that he only accomplished every limited objective.
Wars are not won on the battlefield as the 'big dic' types believe. Wars are settled politically. This war cannot be won when those who must do the poltiical settlement are not able or do not want to.
Petraeus said this up front before he took command. Those who see the bigger picture understood this. Those who see in terms of tactical objectives - the mistake of Nam - associate security around Baghdad as strategic victory. You can see here many who cannot see the bigger picture. They proclaim the surge is working when even everyone knows the strategic objective is being lost. Some here did not grasp what Petraeus was warning long ago. Iraq is slowly being lost as Petraeus cautioned. Sen Warner - a long time military man - accurate said the same thing. We are not winning - while achieving every tactical objective.
Petraeus had no choice. Take command or terminate his military carrer. That's how it works when one is a general. Yon forgot to mention that part.