Iraq War ends---sort of...

Today, August 31, 2010, US combat operations ended in Iraq.

Or is it?

Nearly 50,000 American soldiers remain in Iraq, still in combat formations, still armed, still likely to engage the enemy if attacked or called by the Iraqis for assistance.

Rather broad definition of "over."

Kind of like "Mission Accomplished"

Even if we take this statement at face value, the question remains, "Was the Iraq War worth it?"

Some one back in the 50s once asked the Zhou Enlai, then Preimer of China, if the French Revolution (1789) was a good idea. His answer: "I don't know yet."

Right now, after seven years of fighting, 4500 US KIAs and God knows how many Iraqi deaths, the answer, at the moment, seems like "no." But maybe in twenty years when Iraq is a stable democracy and it begins to spread in the Middle East, we can say the sacrifice was worth it.

Wht if Iraq collapse? Do we fight our way back in or do we walk away from it? Not an easy question.

For every good thing, we can find something bad. We deposed a brutal dictator but have we unleashed an instability that is worse? Or is a democracy painfully crawling forward?

We never found the weapons of mass destruction that was supposed to be the cause of the war but US forces fought, fought well and defeated al-Qieda. But will it rise up again after we leave Iraq?

On September 10, 2001, terrorists (and a lot of our allies) thought America was too decadent and weak to strike back. A French diplomat smirked during the 1999 Kosovo air campaign, "The Americans are brave when they bomb someone from 30,000 feet."

In Iraq and Afghanistan, American soldiers fought eye to eye with the enemy with rifles and shotguns and then shovels and knives. We also showed the world we could and would fight.

But the efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan have been hideously expensive (in lives and dollars) and badly organized.

And success remains in doubt.

I hope a generation from now, we will look at a prosperous, free, and peaceful Middle East and wonder what all the fuss was about. On the other hand, given the region's history, there is not a lot of cause for optimism.

We did not lose in Iraq but it does not feel like a victory.

More like a sigh of relief.

But it is not over yet.

New school year begins

Today a new school year began. I am halfway to my masters and this semester I am taking the European Seminar Class (I am not totally sure what that means but it is required and I will find out soon enough...) and Sea Power through the Ages, 480 BC to present.

I also have to shore up my foreign language requirements and let's not forget the thesis: "Land Power vs Sea Power: Athens/Sparta and Carthage/Rome"

Looks like it is going to be busy semester but at least it keeps me off the streets :-)

Judging by the picture, just as well.....

Enjoy the rainbows!

Too much negative stuff around lately. Enjoy the rainbows!

What is he thinking?!

What is President Obama thinking? Is he thinking?

A MOSQUE next to the site of 9/11?! What is even more bewildering is the sight of a Republican Jewish New York mayor defending the whole project.....

When even a liberal like Mike Lupica balks, you know something is wrong! Very, very wrong.....

http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2010/08/16/2010-08-16_families_not_mike__bam_should_have_the_final_say.html

We better keep an eye on this....

Those wacky North Koreans are once again upset with the US and South Korea for holding military exercises. Once again, they make threats about plunging the world into war. Not once have they done so but I remember the fable about the boy who cried "wolf!"

Although it is hard to take North Korea seriously, you have to remember it has the fifth largest army in the world (1.2 million), holds on to rugged, mountainous terrain and has nuclear weaponry, albeit somewhat primitive.

What worries me is a combination of North Korean insanity and China's increasing assertiveness. Just recently, the Chinese complained loudly about the US Navy holding excesses in the Yellow Sea. Washington moved them, claiming that the Chinese had nothing to do with the decision.

Then the Chinese unveiled their new missile, the Dong Feng 21D, capable of hitting aircraft carriers from 900 miles away.

North Korea is easier to ignore than China.

I have the feeling this little noted exchange is some sort of test the Chinese and North Koreans are running to get a feel for the US commitment to Northeast Asia. Given Obama's track record in anything so far, I can sense the confidence radiating from Beijing.

North Korea, as irritating as China finds Kim Il-Jong, is the perfect proxy to sting the US and scare Japan. Where does that leave South Korea?

A possible Chinese ally

What?

Yes, a possible Chinese ally. Think about it. What if China, much closer to Korea and growing both stronger and more assertive, offers Seoul the moribund North in exchange for an alliance with Asia's greatest power? Oil from Russia also becomes available and North Korea has lots of untapped natural resources.

A unified Chinese allied Korea becomes a natural bridge to Japan. If China has this in mind, then Seoul sees their choices are to be in the way or get on the winning team.

Tied up in Iraq and Afghanistan along with China itself holding a good chunk of America's debt, could the US fight off such a scenario?

Think about this, add the Yellow Sea "protests" into the equation and see what you come up with.

I hope the State Department is not asleep at the wheel on this.

Halfway there!

Just received the notification that I have completed my summer course for my master's degree---it puts me officially at the halfway point. Past midfield and headed for the endzone.

By the way, Michelle and I were at this game back in 2007, a 19-3 Steeler win over the Carolina Panthers in a preseason game.

Now, it two weeks, we start on the second part of the quest...I think I have it easier than Frodo and Sam but remember, I have Kejen Densky on my side.

If you don't know what I am talking about, read Heavensteel!

And Ares Marching while you are at it!

Missouri votes down health care "reform"

Does not look like the "Show Me State" is going for the "expand the number of insured to drive down costs" argument. Do you really expect any corporation to rein itself in on priciing? Think about what you have seen this last decade and ask yourself that again.

http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/article_c847dc7c-564c-5c70-8d90-dfd25ae6de56.html

The basic issue is this: the federal government cannot tell you what to buy. Period.

Even at the height of the Second World War when America was fighting for her survival against Nazis and the Japanese, no one was forced to buy war bonds. Heavy social pressure? Yes. Heavy peer pressure? Yes. Legal mandate with the threat of a fine? No. Looks like the Nazis are in the White House.

And we know how that ended.