Wishes are not Fishes
Could somebody please tell this to Harry Reid?
He and his fellow congressional Democrats have promised to 'provide resources' to hunt down Osama Bin Laden. Wow. Yeah, just pull that one out of thin air. Wait! What is going on now? The U.S. war machine, the CIA, and several other alphabet soup types are all hunting Bin Laden. We have the resources. The Democrats thinking that somehow they can speed the bughunt up is childish at best but more likely just dirty, pandering, politics. Of course, no suggestions about how to speed up the hunt have been made, save the pie in the sky notion of 'doubling of special forces' and increasing the number of spies.
Let me describe the attributes of special forces, because I've seen way too many people suggest that the U.S. simply get more of them. Special forces are very well named. This is not just me stating the obvious, special forces are a special breed of man. They do not grow on trees, they are the epitome of uncommon. Not only must they be able to turn into creatures of superlative endurance and strength, but they have to have an absolutely indomitable spirit, a sharp mind, and an uncompromising nature. Most people with the body for special forces do not have mind and most with the mind do not have the body. The ones who have both are very rare. Nobody can just double the number of these men. It is not possible, nor is it possible to reduce the requirements to get more men into special forces. The requirements that these warriors must meet are far from arbitrary, but formed based on battlefield needs and experiences. Just like a man unable to lift 50 pounds is unfit for construction work, men unable to meet current standards for the special forces are unfit for such duty. There is no way to double these forces. Increases are possible, but only small ones. We are speaking here of units with insane washout rates... and these are men who met the entrance standards!
As for the spies, all I can say is that the Democrats eviscerated our HUMINT assets in the 1990s when all this mess was brewing. They had their chance. To try and evade responsibility for that by suddenly changing minds, all the while making it look like this has been their belief all along, is just plain pathetic. Maybe I should be happy that they are finally coming around on this, but I have a hard time believeing their sincerity.
I had a better idea: if the Democrats want to help with the Global War on Terror, how about getting out of the way? We (the U.S. Armed Forces) can get our assigned jobs done. However, it would be easier without the opposition to military spending that seems to be a plank in the Democrats' platform. It would be easier without putting up with the garbage from the Cindy Sheehan camp and from schools that won't let recruiters on campus. It would be easier if certain people in power stopped trying to cut us down. It would be easier if fewer media outlets lied about how the War on Terror is going and the action of our Forces. (How I perceive the mass media as somehow connected to the Democratic Party, I'll never know... )
To close, this war will not be won by Democrats. It will not be won by Republicans. It will be won by the men and women of our military. Washington has loosed us upon a set of objectives and unless they reel us back in, our success or failure will be of our own doing. Washington can help us or they can hurt us, but as long as the U.S. military is allowed to pursue our objectives, we will accomplish them. If Bin Laden is alive, we'll find him. If given the time, we will build nations for free people. If given the chance, we will pursue organized terror and eliminate it. We have never failed except when forced to.
It's time to stop whining, to stop wishing, to stop bickering, and to meet the challenge at hand.
He and his fellow congressional Democrats have promised to 'provide resources' to hunt down Osama Bin Laden. Wow. Yeah, just pull that one out of thin air. Wait! What is going on now? The U.S. war machine, the CIA, and several other alphabet soup types are all hunting Bin Laden. We have the resources. The Democrats thinking that somehow they can speed the bughunt up is childish at best but more likely just dirty, pandering, politics. Of course, no suggestions about how to speed up the hunt have been made, save the pie in the sky notion of 'doubling of special forces' and increasing the number of spies.
Let me describe the attributes of special forces, because I've seen way too many people suggest that the U.S. simply get more of them. Special forces are very well named. This is not just me stating the obvious, special forces are a special breed of man. They do not grow on trees, they are the epitome of uncommon. Not only must they be able to turn into creatures of superlative endurance and strength, but they have to have an absolutely indomitable spirit, a sharp mind, and an uncompromising nature. Most people with the body for special forces do not have mind and most with the mind do not have the body. The ones who have both are very rare. Nobody can just double the number of these men. It is not possible, nor is it possible to reduce the requirements to get more men into special forces. The requirements that these warriors must meet are far from arbitrary, but formed based on battlefield needs and experiences. Just like a man unable to lift 50 pounds is unfit for construction work, men unable to meet current standards for the special forces are unfit for such duty. There is no way to double these forces. Increases are possible, but only small ones. We are speaking here of units with insane washout rates... and these are men who met the entrance standards!
As for the spies, all I can say is that the Democrats eviscerated our HUMINT assets in the 1990s when all this mess was brewing. They had their chance. To try and evade responsibility for that by suddenly changing minds, all the while making it look like this has been their belief all along, is just plain pathetic. Maybe I should be happy that they are finally coming around on this, but I have a hard time believeing their sincerity.
I had a better idea: if the Democrats want to help with the Global War on Terror, how about getting out of the way? We (the U.S. Armed Forces) can get our assigned jobs done. However, it would be easier without the opposition to military spending that seems to be a plank in the Democrats' platform. It would be easier without putting up with the garbage from the Cindy Sheehan camp and from schools that won't let recruiters on campus. It would be easier if certain people in power stopped trying to cut us down. It would be easier if fewer media outlets lied about how the War on Terror is going and the action of our Forces. (How I perceive the mass media as somehow connected to the Democratic Party, I'll never know... )
To close, this war will not be won by Democrats. It will not be won by Republicans. It will be won by the men and women of our military. Washington has loosed us upon a set of objectives and unless they reel us back in, our success or failure will be of our own doing. Washington can help us or they can hurt us, but as long as the U.S. military is allowed to pursue our objectives, we will accomplish them. If Bin Laden is alive, we'll find him. If given the time, we will build nations for free people. If given the chance, we will pursue organized terror and eliminate it. We have never failed except when forced to.
It's time to stop whining, to stop wishing, to stop bickering, and to meet the challenge at hand.
posted by Charlie Foxtrot at 23:12
Noone and Nothing Forgotten...
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