The Tactics of Iraq - Inviting Discussion

[JohnKachenmeister]

We simply have to regain the initiative.  The enemy has that initiative right now, except when we seriously concentrate our forces.  That results in a condition of force parity.  That's not gonna work.

If I were in the boots of Gen. P. (Or the very slick wing-tips of Pres. B) I would:

1.  Initiate some kind of action against both Iran and Syria.  There is ample evidence that they have been providing support, including Iranian officers to train and lead insurgents.  This can be in the form of covert operations, or overt attacks.  The goal of this operation must be to overthrow the Iranian theocratic government.

2.  Use the Israelis to attack Syria, to protect our rear.

When Iran falls, the war on terror ends.

[mikeylikey]

^ #1....I think we will see a rise in internal confusion and chaos in IRAN.  Lets say an IED goes of in Iraq, then 23 will go off in Iran.  I have no doubt our "secret" agencies are hard at work laying the groundwork for an internal Iran collapse.  Heck, we may see bombing runs before the end of the year against Iran.  We could possibly see a naval blockade within 6 months and a total invasion within 1 year.  We have been in a "quasi" war with Iran since what, 1979?  If you look at the news reports on Iran right now, they are very similar to what was being reported on Iraq before we invaded.  History does have a way of repeating itself!

[Mustang]

When Iran falls, the war on terror ends.

Hey Kach, not to urinate in your Wheaties or anything, but answer me one question regarding your above statement:

Exactly how many of the 9/11 terrorists were from Iran?

[JohnKachenmeister]

^ #1....I think we will see a rise in internal confusion and chaos in IRAN.  Lets say an IED goes of in Iraq, then 23 will go off in Iran.  I have no doubt our "secret" agencies are hard at work laying the groundwork for an internal Iran collapse.  Heck, we may see bombing runs before the end of the year against Iran.  We could possibly see a naval blockade within 6 months and a total invasion within 1 year.  We have been in a "quasi" war with Iran since what, 1979?  If you look at the news reports on Iran right now, they are very similar to what was being reported on Iraq before we invaded.  History does have a way of repeating itself!

I tend to agree with you.  I think, as a matter of preference, that covert activity should be attempted first.  I certainly hope that we have learned from our mistakes in the Iraq Campaign, and have a military government ready to take over when the theocracy fails.

[JohnKachenmeister]

When Iran falls, the war on terror ends.

Hey Kach, not to urinate in your Wheaties or anything, but answer me one question regarding your above statement:

Exactly how many of the 9/11 terrorists were from Iran?

Hey Mustang, what difference does that make?

[Walkman]

While I'll admit to being a bit of a newshound, I'm not as knowledgeable about some of the goings-on in the area as some here, so take this with a grain of salt...

My biggest concern with the issue of Iran parallels Nomex's original thought in a way. I'm worried we're going to stretch our troops too thin, to their detriment. We've got the best military in the world, no doubt, but even the best troops' performance will suffer if they are cared for properly. Do we have the numbers we need to hold Iraq, Afganistan & Iran and do it right?

Along with that idea, I remember the mid-90s when I lived in Savannah, GA. Had a lot of military buddies (Hunter Army Air Field & Fort Stewart), and saw a lot of them RIF'd. Very short-sighted on the part of administration. We might not have the fatigue on our troops if we'd kept up our levels for a short time. A short five, 6 years later and we're at 9/11. I know that not many saw the current terrorist situation as much of a threat back then, but we should be wise enough by now to know that there will always be a need for a strong military in today's world.

[Mustang]

When Iran falls, the war on terror ends.

Hey Kach, not to urinate in your Wheaties or anything, but answer me one question regarding your above statement:

Exactly how many of the 9/11 terrorists were from Iran?

Hey Mustang, what difference does that make?

It makes all the difference in the world.   Iran is not the center of the war on terror by any stretch of the imagination.   Saudi Arabia is.  The war on terror will not end "when Iran falls", as you so naively put it.  The war on terror will end when Islam and Christianity fall, and no one's suggesting their eradication, at least not publicly.

You're simply spouting neocon rhetoric, which is simply doing Israel's bidding.  The US needs to get out of the business of doing Israel's dirty work for them.

[Falshrmjgr]

You're simply spouting neocon rhetoric, which is simply doing Israel's bidding.  The US needs to get out of the business of doing Israel's dirty work for them.

If anything, Israel is doing our dirty work, i.e. bombing Syria.  Not to mention being our strongest ally in the region, and providing a regional balance of power.

Before you start castigating someone for their "neocon rhetoric,"  you might want to check your rhetoric at the door.

[JohnKachenmeister]

When Iran falls, the war on terror ends.

Hey Kach, not to urinate in your Wheaties or anything, but answer me one question regarding your above statement:

Exactly how many of the 9/11 terrorists were from Iran?

Hey Mustang, what difference does that make?

It makes all the difference in the world.   Iran is not the center of the war on terror by any stretch of the imagination.   Saudi Arabia is.  The war on terror will not end "when Iran falls", as you so naively put it.  The war on terror will end when Islam and Christianity fall, and no one's suggesting their eradication, at least not publicly.

You're simply spouting neocon rhetoric, which is simply doing Israel's bidding.  The US needs to get out of the business of doing Israel's dirty work for them.

Mustang:

I, as you might expect, tend to disagree with you.

Iran is, in fact, the central factor in the War on Terror.  It has been the center of Islamic radicalism since the Ayatollahs took control in 1979.  The radicalism that has arisen to oppose the Saudi monarchy has its roots in the radacalism that overthrew the Iranian monarchy.  Actually, far from being the enemy, the Saudi monarchy is their next target.  The Saudis know this as well as we do, which is why the Saudi government coorperates with the US in the War on Terror.

When B.H. Liddell Hart wrote his book "The History of the Second World War," he selected the Mukden Incident in Manchuria as the start of World War II.  I believe that when the history of the Third World War is written, the start point will be the taking of the American Embassy in Teheran.

You can, if you wish, delude yourself into thinking that Iran is a benign power in the region, and that Israel's self-defense measures are rooted in evil.  After all, "Denial" is one of the principal rivers in the Mid-East. 

[Nomex Maximus]

Kach -

I am pretty sure that at this time, the Bush Administration does not have the political capital necessary to attack Iran. Simply, the American people just won't be behind any expansion of military activities. It seems to me that we need to go in and kick butt once and for all, overrunning borders into Pakistan and Iran. At best what we would get is what happened when we went into Iraq the first time - a weakened enemy that we can live with. But without that push it seems to me that we will just keep fighting a half-hearted war. Sad - our military is not very good at fighting half-hearted wars. They are much better at fighting when the country is fully behind them. If this shall be the case, maybe, after a long time the people of Iraq will get tired enough to fix the problems in their country themsleves.

We need to kick butt AND get out.

Just my humble non-military opinion.

NM

[ddelaney103]

"What we've got here is... failure to communicate. Some men you just can't reach."

For those people reading this that aren't glued to Faux News and don't believe "Team America: World Police" is a documentary, a little history.

http://www.nybooks.com/articles/20691

New York Review of Books October 25, 2007

The Queen of the Quagmire - a little look at the last time the West decided to save the Iraqis from themselves.  Same story: just no Persian Mullah nation to pin the blame on.

[aveighter]

John, the fellow travelers, useful idiots and historically willfully ignorant have come out to opine. 

Rational discussion of a serious matter will no longer be possible.

We flew our test, by the way.  I'll email the details.