“Where hacks come to spew nonsense” – B2B
Hey, you should call me on my mobile phone.
If you don’t have the number then send me an e-mail.
If you don’t have my e-mail…well, if you can’t find my e-mail address then I think there is not much I can do for you…
In 2004, candidate John Kerry stated that he would enlarge the military by 40,000 troops. President Bush attacked Kerry’s proposal stating that it would make the country “less safe.” A smaller, leaner and more mobile army was the dream of then Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld and the President had no interest in questioning this policy.
Now Rumsfeld is gone and yesterday the President announced his intention to increase the size of the permanent active-duty military by as much as 70,000 troops in order to fight the “war on terror.” He is also considering sending an additional 15,000 – 30,000 troops to Iraq in order to take control of the violence that is ripping that country to shreds.
So where are all these troops going to come from? Fred Kaplan of Slate magazine writes:
according to some very high-ranking officers who deal firsthand with these sorts of issues, the Army can recruit, train, and equip only about 7,000 combat troops a year. This is a physical limit, constrained by the number of bases, trainers, supplies, and other elements of infrastructure.
It is going to take up to 10 years to train enough soldiers to meet the President’s goal in order to fight a war that began over 5 years ago. Is it really better to be late than never in war?
In regards to the “surge” plan to send more troops to Iraq, it would take two years to train enough forces. Proponents of the surge are talking about sending these troops in early next year. So, instead of additional soldiers added to the military for this build up, it is going to be existing troops who will be deployed to Iraq. Troops that have already served a tour in Iraq, sometimes multiple tours. All this does is exacerbate the “back door draft” that Kerry derided in the 2004 campaign.
And what are these 30,000 additional troops going to do once they get to Iraq? Vali Nasr:
The language of the administration suggests that the surge will be used to fight radical groups and sectarian militias—Sunni ones and especially Shia militias and death squads associated with Muqtada al-Sadr. But listen closely; what they mean is that surge is in fact meant to finish off Sadr. And there lies the danger.
If the U.S. mission is to take out al-Sadr it’s a recipe for disaster.
So far the insurgency in Iraq has been made up of disgruntled Sunnis Muslims, the sect that accounts for 35% of the population, who have been attacking the Shia majority as well as U.S. troops. Estimates are that 80% of U.S. casualties are the result of Sunni attack. The Shia militias have been concerned with consolidating territory and power since the fall of Saddam as well as launching reprisal attacks against the Sunnis. The Shia militias have not been attacking U.S. troops.
If the Bush Administration makes a move against al-Sadr the Shia militias will turn their guns towards American soldiers. 65% of Iraq is made up of Shia Muslims. What has so far been a quagmire will turn into a blood bath.
Nasr has a suggestion:
Surging in the wrong country at this time will make the U.S. more vulnerable in the coming years. Ignoring Afghanistan will take that country back to where it was before 9/11 while the cycle of surges and insurgencies in Iraq will further limit our ability to respond to Afghanistan. What should Washington do: Surge in Afghanistan if you surge anywhere, and as for Iraq, focus first on a political roadmap.
While I am not convinced that a political solution is possible in Iraq, I am convinced that “military victory”, what ever that might look like, is impossible. Time to pull out our troops and let the Iraqis figure things out for themselves.
Since Ped’s comment I have had numerous inquiries as to the status of Mr. Wiskers.
So I thought I would provide an update in regards to Mr. Wiskers.
Here it is: There is no creature in my house named Mr. Wiskers.
(sent wireless via Treo 650)
Why is the biggest hub airport serving the west coast located at 5000 feet just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains? Doesn’t this place get slammed by bad weather every winter?
If you have to have a major hub airport at 5000 feet, why not have it 450 miles to the south in Albuquerque? I lived in ABQ for two years and do you know how many times they closed the airport due to bad weather? Zero.
DIA is going to be closed for 3 days. It’s one thing if you are flying into or out of Denver, not much can help you if you are stuck in a blizzard. But if you live in California or in the mid-west, it’s just a connection. Now your travel plans are ruined and you are screwed.
Why do people put up with this?
Hey! Looking good!
I was a bit worried last week that I was not acclimating to going from one 200 watt/60 minute workout per week to two workouts per week. My second workout this week felt really good and the trend seems to be going the right direction now. Maybe I was just sick or run down last week.
I was going to add a third 200w/60min workout starting in January but I am thinking that I may not do that now. I might just stick with two and incorporate some kind of leg speed workout once per week. If I am going to keep up with (dis)pencer and Super-Rookie on the track I need to be able to grind the hamburger.
Weight was 191 this morning. I am maintaining a semblance of self control over the holidays.
Fascinating stuff…
For a lot of people this is common knowledge already, but I was waiting until I saw some kind of press release before I made any mention of it.
Adam Bergman has signed a pro contract with Tom Schuler’s Colavita/Sutter Home/Cooking Light cycling team. Bergman’s team mates will include veterans Hayden Godfrey and Charles Dionne.
As is typical for a pro coming back after suspension, I am sure that Bergman is riding for peanuts (or maybe peanut shells), but that’s just part of paying the penalty for a doping offense. To his credit, Bergman got a contract with a strong team that has a national presence. This will serve as the perfect springboard for him to get back in the game. Hopefully he’ll get some results and prove his value. You will be able to see him in action locally at the Nature Valley Grand Prix as the Colavita team attends this event each year.
So with Bergman racing pro we probably won’t have to worry about him kicking all our asses at the velodrome this coming season.
