NOTE: the end is the meat and potatoes. Everything else is just rambling until then.
Old Shaun, new Shaun. Does it really matter (unless you are Joe that is).
Let me tell you what I saw while in Frankfurt, Dubai and Chennai, that is talking with folks on the plane, in the airports, on the ground. By contrast with my conversations, I saw the U.S. as an ignorant little brat on the world stage playground more concerned about Walmart sales, overplanned and coddled lives with no understanding of Duty and Sacrifice. I saw 150K Soldiers carrying our Nation on their backs in Iraq while we throw down beer and chips and "go shopping". More concerned about taxes and a plasma TV than a top shelf Education. I saw the U.S. as ignorant of the World around it and instead of wanting to learn about it, simply wanting to smash it with the biggest hammer it could find, more out of fear than anything else. By contrast, I saw that our lack of understanding of other people's cultures around the world will be our Downfall. The world around us is growing up faster than we are adapting, whether by choice or by ignorance. We are a country of cattle who would rather bash each other than work together. Critical, independent thought is dead. We blindly swallow down government pabulum and questioning authority has been labeled as traitorous. Lastly, if you can't hit it with a hammer, no one wants to know about it.
When I was in Chennai, a local politician was holding a "50 years in office" citywide celebration the weekend I was leaving. The entire city was grid locked, truly 100% wall to wall people on every surface beaming with pride over their politician, who was both corrupt and magnanimous. He helped the ultra poor as much as the wealthy and powerful. That duality in itself was very interesting. He has 2 sons, one of which will take over for him someday soon. It's a given. When one of the major newspapers ran poll favoring one at 80%, the other at 5%, 15 undecided, the son with 5% got his followers together and bombed the newspaper. 5 people died. I learned a lot about that entire part of the world from that one incident. How people reacted to it and why. the backlash against this son was huge. His followers were hunted down, he was publicly excoriated. Pictures of him (these huge posters of politicians are everywhere) were defamed. I'm sure he felt great about bombing the newspaper. I'm sure he won't live to see 2008, and if he does, he'll be a pariah.
This is when I realized I was dead wrong about there being a political solution to Iraq and there isn't a "glassification" solution. if you remember, I was pro-pullout for a variety of reasons, the two main ones being that only a political solution was viable as a long-term solution with military getting in the way; the second was that Iraq is the largest entitlement program ever conceived, our soldiers dying so their politicians can take a stand (and take a vacation), which is wrong on so many levels.
Fact is, either we are prolonging the war for a reason, don't have the political courage to win or are just plain stupid. I think it's a combination of all 3. You've seen my 300k troop plan to seal borders, turn the country upside down, etc. so I won't repeat it here, but it's the only logical solution given how much Time, Money and Blood that has been spent in Iraq.
"Further Shaun..I wanted to add in the orginal Thread..that while out on the Rim, you must have also seen just how serious a threat the Islamic Jihad is."
you know what I saw? really want to know? What sunk in more than anything while abroad is that Islamic Jihad is the same conjured up boogeyman as the Communist Threat. It isn't real. Let me say that again. It isn't real at all. We've done everything but roll out the red carpet to terrorists with completely open borders and ports. Fact is if it were real, we'd have been hit ages ago, and many times. And while I'm sure we've got some great black ops teams who have stopped attacks, again, it's just way to easy to hit us because we have done nothing to protect ourselves. if it were real we'd have OBL's head on a pike on top of the White House. Instead he roams free. That in itself says more than anything. The man who killed over 3000 Americans is free in the world. That is unacceptable on any level. Instead we have a couple hundred goat herders and 50 serious terrorists locked up in Gitmo. Did you hear Bush today? Did you hear him say he's going to bring al Quaeda to justice? Man I wish I had a bat and could just bash his brains in, or maybe a big hammer. What a joke. The Taliban are stronger than ever. Does that seem like good Military strategy executed to you? 6 years after we attack, the enemy is stronger. What the füch is that about?
Oh, I could ramble on incoherently for some time, and hope to better discuss over a buffet or two, but I've got to get back to work.
the net net of what I saw overseas was how small the U.S. is, and is becoming. Democratic India, Communist China (our bankers), those the folks you need to watch in the next 50 years. Islamic jihad is tiny tiny thing compared to the monumental task of keeping our country competitive with these two giants down the road.
it's all about scale, and big hammers, and leadership. Sadly, we only have one. "hey look, a nail..."