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August 4, 2008
The new crop of generals. . .
The new crop of generals looks pretty good. I'm glad to see the final shift in military leadership that Rumsfeld was working toward. Regardless of your opinion of the man, Rummy was right about what we'd need to fight future asymetrical wars. Did Rumsfeld make every decision correctly? No can be the only answer, although I'd argue that the incorrect answers were in some cases quite serious.
Rumsfeld aside, this move toward a more combat tested and tuned general corps is a good one. Special Operations one-stars are a positive step. I especially like that the military police got a star, and on a woman too boot. We'll need a stronger MP corps in the future as training and support of Iraqi and Afghani forces becomes the focus.
Iraq and Afghanistan are not the last hot battles in the GWOT; al-queda is a nine+ headed hydra and even though we've lopped off two heads, there are still more to go. That's a sad fact, but fact it is. Do I wish that we could all just stop, right here right now and all get along? Of course I do. I'm a realist though, and the next battle is just around the corner.
In France today, it's considered normal to surrender whole parts of the Paris Megalopolis to violent "youths" and it's debatable whether or not England has "no-go" zones for the authorities. Pakistan's government is close to breaking down. Africa is a mess, but many parts are much better than they were 8 years ago.
It doesn't matter who's in the White House come January, the fact of the matter is that violent jihadis will attack or attempt to attack this nation for years to come. Wars of religion last centuries, and I'm not delusional in thinking this isn't a religious war, it's Islam vs. The Secular. We can almost say that this war has been going on for over two hundred years, and that what's different now is that this religious war has become "hot" again, or "hotter" if you prefer.
I think we'll be more than decently served by this new crop of one star army generals. I wish them luck and health and safety. I also thank them dearly for their service.
--Jason
Posted by JasonColeman at August 4, 2008 10:30 PM
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