When I was younger and less experienced -- and had seen less war -- I was a big believer in the Rumsfeld Doctrine, "if the problem seems unsolvable, enlarge it," that is, don't chew about the edges if chewing about the edges doesn't solve things, but go for the whole sandwich if need be.



I also believed the empty Neocon slogans about appeasement and Hitler and Clinton "just kicking the can down the road" in Iraq.



The empty sloganeering went like this: If we don't permanently solve our diplomatic/military crises once and for ever, then we're just "kicking the can down the road" and deferring problems until later.



But watching the Iraq and Afghanistan (and Libya and Syria) fiascoes, I've now come to understand a few things:



First, it is extraordinarily difficult to "solve" massive societal problems in foreign fucking countries. The cancer in Middle East states goes right down to the bone.



We haven't managed to rid America of the Communist Delusion after one hundred years. And we think we're going to cure Islam of Islamism?



It may be simply impossible to "fix" such things, and even if it is theoretically possible, it might take far more wasted men, severed limbs, and pallet-fulls of money than we are willing to spend.



Second, Americans are a bit mercurial in matters of war: They are occasionally keen on it, but quickly tire of it.



We have now had a pretty firm trial run of how many years of war America is willing to tolerate, even if offered terrific provocation (such as 9/11). The answer turns out to be "three to four years, maybe."



Hell, even the liberal wing of the War Party -- the Neocon NeverTrumpers -- began calling anyone who proposed additional screening for Muslim travelers an anti-American racist within three years of 9/11.



Which brings me to the third point: Wars must be sharply limited in goals, with clearly defined victory conditions and a firm exit strategy, and must not be permitted to endlessly mutate new goals and thus new end-points.



And we must not "nation build."

It's absurd. It's already been tried and it already failed. Shall we keep on doing it, then? I think I'd rather just eat the whole sandwich and invade Iran.

It's certainly taken long enough, but conservatives are FINALLY beginning to see through the neoclowns There is no question of how "it may be simply impossible". It is impossible and it has always been impossible and those who have pushed for it knew that from the start. It won't be long until conservatives finally start NOTICING and understanding why the neoclowns have been incessantly pushing for permanent war in the Middle East. Which, of course, is why the Alt-Right - which is to say the Post-Conservative Nationalist American Right, however you want to label it - has always been inevitable.Of course, it could take longer than one would expect, because conservatives are almost terminally stupid.Because that's supposed to be less absurd? Since Ace has apparently just discovered military history, perhaps he will follow my suggestion to read about a little historical episode known as "the Sicilian Expedition" and a concept called "imperial overstretch".

Labels: cuckservative, history, neoclowns