[Dean's World] Dave Price: Rumsfeld Postmortem

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Posted by Dave Price:
Rumsfeld Postmortem
http://www.deanesmay.com/posts/1163313170.shtml


   Victor Hanson [1]on the soon-departing septuagenarian SecDef:

     Here is the record of Donald Rumsfeld. (1) Tried to take a
     top-heavy Pentagon and prepare it for the wars of the postmodern
     world, in which on a minuteâs notice thousands of American
     soldiers, with air and sea support, would have to be sent to some
     god-awful place to fight some savageryâand then be trashed live on
     CNN for doing it; (2) less than a month after 9/11 he organized the
     retaliation against al Qaeda in the heart of primordial Afghanistan
     that removed the Taliban in 7 weeks, when we were all warned that
     the U.S., like the British and Russians of old, would fail; (3)
     oversaw the removal of Saddam in 3 weeksâafter the 1991 Gulf War
     and the 12-years of 350,000 sorties in the no-fly-zones, and
     various bombing strikes, had failed. (4) Ah, you say, then there is
     the disastrous 3-year insurgencyâtoo few troops, Iraqi army let go,
     underestimated âdead-endersâ etc.?
     But Rumsfeld knew that in a counterinsurgency (cf. Vietnam 1965-71)
     massive deployments only ensure complacency, breed dependency, and
     create resentment, and that, in contrast, training indigenous
     forces, ensuring political autonomy, and providing air and commando
     support (e.g., Vietnam circa 1972-4) is the only answerâalthough
     that is a long process that can work only if political support at
     home allows the military to finish the job (cf. the
     turn-of-the-century Philippines, and the British in Malaysia). He
     was a good man, and we were lucky to have him in our hour of need

   Rumsfeld's departure strikes me as the product of griping and sniping
   of lesser men, wonderfully accomplished at describing in 20/20
   hindsight the SecDef's perceived failures, but offering little
   convincing evidence of their own greater foresight, competence, or
   ability to have achieved what Rumsfeld did.

References

   1. http://victordavishanson.pajamasmedia.com/2006/11/08/rumsfeld_webband_bbeing_carefu.php