tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16821859.post5947930073972314207..comments2024-03-26T16:03:42.608-06:00Comments on Flares into Darkness: Metrics and Narrativesambisinistralhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03836786826294202405noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16821859.post-15851017714075810602007-07-19T11:31:00.000-06:002007-07-19T11:31:00.000-06:00A thought I saw somewhere sees the Dem's as wantin...A thought I saw somewhere sees the Dem's as wanting pullout before 08 so that the inevitable carnage to follow will impact for political fodder in 08. What times these are that I can't dismiss that as just crazy talk.Lutherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08901441364329385474noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16821859.post-70572466510930291572007-07-19T08:25:00.000-06:002007-07-19T08:25:00.000-06:00Are the Dems basically fighting to frame the meani...<I>Are the Dems basically fighting to frame the meaning of troop reductions?</I><BR/><BR/>Yes.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16821859.post-24800418250344296822007-07-18T19:23:00.000-06:002007-07-18T19:23:00.000-06:00So, how much of the Democrats cut & run rhetoric i...So, how much of the Democrats cut & run rhetoric is an attempt to get out ahead of the future troop reductions and paint that as a failure rather than a success? They know troop reductions will come about and they desire to make it seems as much tail between legs as possible and destroy any opportunity for Bush & Co to say we can lower our levels because of accomplishments. Are the Dems basically fighting to frame the <B>meaning</B> of troop reductions?Barry Dauphinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15808109325931309525noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16821859.post-11163933216330229972007-07-17T18:02:00.000-06:002007-07-17T18:02:00.000-06:00"We'll see how they handle this."Denial, fits, tan...<I>"We'll see how they handle this."</I><BR/><BR/>Denial, fits, tantrums - you know, the usual. The underlying metric, which the Copperheads were just a little too dumb to really catch onto, was the pace of training for the Iraqi units and the fact that they were approaching critical mass in quantity, if not in quality.<BR/><BR/>Just as it was the Union's ability to continue to levy forces at 300K per pop after the Confederates had both dropped and raised their age limits to 16-50, without appreciable impact, that allowed Sherman to reduce Atlanta and begin his torchlight stroll to Savannah, so it may well be that the Iraqi's continuing to raise division after division will be the true knockout punch for the terrorists. I believe the Iraqis have just raised their force levels to 11 division with two more planned and funded.<BR/><BR/>All that is really needed is passage of the oil revenue bill to guarantee that US forces will be cut by two-thirds by next spring.Rick Ballardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11082425215912372067noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16821859.post-48701810648928921542007-07-17T17:15:00.000-06:002007-07-17T17:15:00.000-06:00The link to Commentary reminds me what a great mag...The link to <I>Commentary</I> reminds me what a great magazine it is - I subscribed many years ago only to let it lapse and just started up again.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16821859.post-22083407353161276992007-07-17T17:02:00.000-06:002007-07-17T17:02:00.000-06:00This theater of the long war is going better than ...This theater of the long war is going better than I would have thought, even given the fact that all - or almost all - my news has come from those with boots on the ground, like Yon, and thus I am exposed to positive developments every now and then. What it must be like to subsist on an MSM diet I can't begin to imagine.<BR/><BR/>Though there is still a long way to go, in Iraq and globally.<BR/><BR/><I>At least there have not been any Okinawas...</I><BR/><BR/>Not yet and we must pause and be grateful for that. If there are "battles" with massive casualties, they will probably first happen to our civilians here at home. After that, all bets are off.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16821859.post-78590012753534943202007-07-17T16:28:00.000-06:002007-07-17T16:28:00.000-06:00We'll see how they handle this. Even without read...We'll see how they handle this. <BR/><BR/>Even without reading between the MSM's lines, progress appears to be proceeding apace.<BR/><BR/>And from whay I read from Yon and Roggio, the progress is considerable.<BR/><BR/>Maybe we are finally breaking out of the hedgerows. Or marching from Atlanta to the Sea.<BR/><BR/>At least there have not been any Okinawas, Iwo Jimas, Antietams, Gettysburgs or Cold Harbors -- or even Tets.vnjagvethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15904498408683884983noreply@blogger.com