The Comedy of Errors Continues

It's great to be able to say in hindsight, that we have made some mistakes in the war in Iraq. Of course, to say that we've made some mistakes is a gross understatement, it would be much more accurate a statement, if you said that we have done nothing, or very little, right. Every decision we have made in this war, including the decision to have this war, was based on information that was tainted in some way, and we have grossly overestimated the competence of the American military. You would think that a nation that outspends every other developed country on arms, would be able to handle an invasion and occupation of an impoverished third world country without too many problems. We prevailed in a couple of World Wars, when we spent much less money, and had a massive volunteer Army. Today, we spend billions, and can barely recruit enough soldiers to assist in natural disasters.

Hindsight is 20/20.

But what if you could see the future, and know these military decisions are mistakes as they happen, and you could do nothing to stop the train wreck from happening?

BAGHDAD, Iraq - With the 4-month-old "surge" in U.S. troops showing only modest success in curbing insurgent attacks, U.S. commanders are turning to another strategy they acknowledge is fraught with risk: arming Sunni Arab groups that have promised to fight Al-Qaida-linked militants who have been their allies in the past.
U.S. officials who have engaged in what they call "outreach" to the Sunni groups say the groups are mostly ones with links to Al-Qaida, but disillusioned with Al-Qaida's extremist tactics, particularly suicide bombings that have killed thousands of Iraqi civilians.
In exchange for U.S. backing, these officials say, the Sunni groups have agreed to fight Al-Qaida and halt attacks on U.S. units. Commanders who have undertaken these negotiations say that in some cases Sunni groups have agreed to alert U.S. troops to the location of roadside bombs and other lethal booby traps.

Okay, let me get this straight. We're giving guns to the
Sunnis, the bad guys who we have liberated the Iraqis from, the party of Saddam Hussein, the whole reason we're there in the first place. We've fought a bloody insurgency for 4 years, and now we're giving arms to the people who have killed American soldiers. I'm trying here...really trying to believe that the people who run the military are making good decisions, but giving guns to people who have already killed thousands of our soldiers just seems to me....well stupid. If this is how we wage a war against a bunch of hold-outs from a corrupt regime, then God help us if we ever have to go to war with China. Cause China will be ready in about ten years to take us to the mats, and if we have the same people running our military, we Americans will be China's bitch.

It's a good thing I like Lo Mein.

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