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Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Austin Bay :: Townhall.com Columnist
Iraqi Victory, Defeat for McCain?
by Austin Bay
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It is ironic, but victory in Iraq could mean defeat for John McCain.

Crown the lucky Barack Obama, bury the courageous McCain -- what a fate for a warrior senator who has played a key leadership role in Iraq's emerging victory.

I'll repeat that description: "emerging victory." Terror campaigns and insurgencies end with diminishing codas of violence.

In a recent column, I referenced the "Strategic Overwatch" video that appeared on the Internet the first week of June. "Overwatch" is a military term. At the tactical level, one soldier moves, the other "covers" him (overwatches), ready to suppress enemy fire. At the strategic level, allied nations "cover" one another.

"Strategic Overwatch" is also a term I encountered when I served in the plans section of Multi-National Corps-Iraq in 2004 -- a desirable strategic condition I thought the coalition and Iraqis could achieve.

"Strategic Overwatch" is a limited victory for a United States willing to remain a reliable Iraqi ally. "Strategic Overwatch" protects the much more enthusiastic Iraqi version of victory. After his May 6, 2008, speech at Quantico, Va., I asked Iraqi Ambassador to the United Nations Hamid Al Bayati what would constitute victory for the Iraqi people. He responded viscerally, "Every day we have democracy is a victory for the Iraqi people."

How blunt. The Iraqis have earned their democracy, and we owe them a solid alliance.

The video summarizes "Strategic Overwatch" in this manner:

Assumptions: The United States is in Iraq for the long haul; Iraqi political progress continues. Continued...
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About The Author

Austin Bay Austin Bay is author of three novels. His third novel, The Wrong Side of Brightness, was published by Putnam/Jove in June 2003. He has also co-authored four non-fiction books, to include A Quick and Dirty Guide to War: Third Edition (with James Dunnigan, Morrow, 1996).
 
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(16 comments so Far)
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Reply # 1
Date: Jul 24, 2008 - 7:37 PM EST
The Founding Fathers were idiots?
Every other supporter of America on its evermore road, of impossing its will upon the world at gun point, makes these men of the past look like terrorists indeed!

Yes, America is now a fulllfledged Empire, more far-reaching and abusive than even the British were. Yes, that is why border and the millions of illegals that have entered and actually continue to enter, is typical of all Empires, in as much as all peoples who come under the power of such in essence are defacto citizens.

Now we have even each candidate courting in essence another nation from within for success!So, this sad picture should make the Founding Fathers smile? Yes, while each candidate claims approval from the Founding Fathers, in essence lying through their teeth while America is asleep indeed!



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Reply # 2
Date: Jul 24, 2008 - 3:56 PM EST
jerabaub - Whaddaya mean ''we''?
--
Gripes jerabaub:

"Assuming you are correct, we are meddling in the affairs of a people whom we can never fully understand.

"Again, that seems a bit bizarre."



Not "bizarre" at all. We're talking about American politicians.

People who are good at winning popularity contests.

And absolutely NOTHING else.


As for your use of the term "we" here....

Yes, the average American doesn't understand Islam, or the Middle East, or history in general.

Why the hell d'you see 'em keep on voting as stupidly as they do?

Anyone can articulate an opinion. Whether they bother to take the effort to formulate that opinion based upon information (the getting of which commonly requires some skull-sweat) depends not only upon their native ability but also their willingness to do so.

The capacity for sapience is (ceteris paribus) a given.

The rational function requires the exercise of purposeful action.

Most Americans - most people in general - do not undertake that exercise, and for this reason the average American "putz in the plaza" offers nothing but feculence when he mouthes off on a subject like this one.

Fortunately, we live in a division-of-labor economy, where capable people can and do focus on this and other esoteric subjects, and provide valid, well-informed opinions.

Unfortunately, we're considered "wonks," and the politicians largely ignore us, following instead the dictates of public opinion polls.

In which the guiding light is the average brain-dead, lazy, malignantly stupid American "man in the street."

--
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