Sunday, April 30, 2006
This Sounds Too Good to be True
As a student of the Viet Nam War, I know that in the late 60s we dreamed of the Viet Cong abandoning its tactics of a hidden, guerilla war and coming out for a stand up fight. And they did at the end of January, 1968 in the Tet offensive; and we slaughtered them. They failed in every city but Hue and then we slaughtered them there. The rest of the war was fought by North Viet Nam regular army troops. There's an irony there still relevant today but that's not what this posting is about.
The London Times is reporting that "The leader of Al-Qaeda in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, is attempting to set up his own mini-army and move away from individual suicide attacks to a more organised resistance movement..."
God, I hope he doesn't do that (said Br'er Rabbit). We could never survive a stand up fight against the vaunted al-Qaeda in Iraq (wink, wink). Oh, man, if Zarqawi gathers an army and attacks us in a conventional way, we'll probably get our asses kicked. (Enough sarcasm).
So, because it's our intelligence services saying this, it probably isn't true.
You have to like the reported reason for the shift in tactics:
Faced with a shortage of foreign fighters willing to undertake suicide missions, Zarqawi wants to turn his group into a more traditional force mounting co-ordinated guerrilla raids on coalition targets.
Shortage of foreign fighters willing to undertake suicide missions? I thought it was our troops who were supposed to be demoralized.
The London Times is reporting that "The leader of Al-Qaeda in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, is attempting to set up his own mini-army and move away from individual suicide attacks to a more organised resistance movement..."
God, I hope he doesn't do that (said Br'er Rabbit). We could never survive a stand up fight against the vaunted al-Qaeda in Iraq (wink, wink). Oh, man, if Zarqawi gathers an army and attacks us in a conventional way, we'll probably get our asses kicked. (Enough sarcasm).
So, because it's our intelligence services saying this, it probably isn't true.
You have to like the reported reason for the shift in tactics:
Faced with a shortage of foreign fighters willing to undertake suicide missions, Zarqawi wants to turn his group into a more traditional force mounting co-ordinated guerrilla raids on coalition targets.
Shortage of foreign fighters willing to undertake suicide missions? I thought it was our troops who were supposed to be demoralized.
# posted by Roger Fraley @ 4:14 PM 
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So, because it's our intelligence services saying this, it probably isn't true.
Absolutely ROFL!
I don't think Zarqawi is going to attack in any conventional way. He may largely abandon suicide bombings, but the tactics will certainly remain very hit and run in nature.
Don't look for any square formations with guys lining up, firing on order and then going to the back of the formation any time soon.
A bit of irony: if Zarqawi abandons suicide bombings, his influence could grow. This is especially true if they are able to be effective against coalition forces.
Absolutely ROFL!
I don't think Zarqawi is going to attack in any conventional way. He may largely abandon suicide bombings, but the tactics will certainly remain very hit and run in nature.
Don't look for any square formations with guys lining up, firing on order and then going to the back of the formation any time soon.
A bit of irony: if Zarqawi abandons suicide bombings, his influence could grow. This is especially true if they are able to be effective against coalition forces.
R,
"I thought our troops were supposed to be demoralized."
I am not scouring the media like you are but I can't recall anything avout our troops being demoralized.
The war may have demoralized many Americans, but I don't count our troops among them.
Recall the e-mail that I forwarded some months back that you posted. I agree w/ Mike. I do not expect that al-Zarqawi's amateurs will attack in formation. I also agree that if he stops blowing up Iraqi civilians and starts targeting coalition forces, his influence may increase in the short run but ultimately, given his pronouncements regarding the Shia, he will run out of time and territory, absent an all out civil war between the sects.
"I thought our troops were supposed to be demoralized."
I am not scouring the media like you are but I can't recall anything avout our troops being demoralized.
The war may have demoralized many Americans, but I don't count our troops among them.
Recall the e-mail that I forwarded some months back that you posted. I agree w/ Mike. I do not expect that al-Zarqawi's amateurs will attack in formation. I also agree that if he stops blowing up Iraqi civilians and starts targeting coalition forces, his influence may increase in the short run but ultimately, given his pronouncements regarding the Shia, he will run out of time and territory, absent an all out civil war between the sects.
# posted by 
: 8:54 AM
: 8:54 AM
"and we slaughtered them. They failed in every city but Hue and then we slaughtered them there."
Whats this "we" masked man? Come on Roger, you were home hiding under the covers.
Whats this "we" masked man? Come on Roger, you were home hiding under the covers.
# posted by : 2:40 PM
: 2:40 PM
Mike, I fear you are correct.
Tony, Murtha called our forces broken and said on several occasions that morale was down (when clearly it is not). There was the faux Zogby poll supposedly about troop feelings in Iraq. Both were held up by other lefties as proof of our troops' low state.
Anon, when I say 'we' about American history, I mean we Americans. Don't you feel part of America? Yea, in January, 1968, I was 14, but I guess I could have lied about my age and joined the Marines, rather than hide under the covers. My bad.
Tony, Murtha called our forces broken and said on several occasions that morale was down (when clearly it is not). There was the faux Zogby poll supposedly about troop feelings in Iraq. Both were held up by other lefties as proof of our troops' low state.
Anon, when I say 'we' about American history, I mean we Americans. Don't you feel part of America? Yea, in January, 1968, I was 14, but I guess I could have lied about my age and joined the Marines, rather than hide under the covers. My bad.
And in 1972, when "we" turned 18, I bet "we" went running down to the selective service office to enlist.
# posted by : 12:46 PM
: 12:46 PM
Selective Service held the draft, which ended as I hit 18. There was a recruitment office where I could have enlisted, but I went to college instead. As I recall, you did not enlist but were drafted and served in Germany. I'd ask why you didn't run to enlist but it's a stupid question, every time you ask it, so I'll pass. Be well.
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