"for that matter, the US out of Vietnam"

Gee, I dunno-I thought it was the VC and the peace movement.

Posted by: max at February 2, 2006 2:21 PM

re: the WMD story:

It's really sad, isn't it, when you being to suspect your country's national defense policy is really just a marketing strategy? I've had that suspicion since the mid-80's and nothing that's happened since has convinced me otherwise.

As for the IED threat, you can beat up on the military for not seeing it in advance and this is almost fair. After all, it's the same tactic that drove Israel out of Lebanon and, for that matter, the US out of Vietnam. But I don't think they haven't been trying hard to neutralize it. The simple fact is, the tactic works because it's very hard to counter. Some people have a touching, almost religious faith in the ability of technology to solve every military problem, but this isn't true. They can't cure the common cold because the virus keeps mutating. So it is with IEDs. The human element remains decisive.

Posted by: James at February 2, 2006 12:17 PM