The Art of War

Now the general who wins a battle makes many calculations in his temple ere the battle is fought. The general who loses a battle makes but few calculations beforehand. Thus do many calculations lead to victory and few calculations to defeat: how much more no calculations at all! It is by attention to this point that I can foresee who is likely to win or lose.

--Sun Tzu, The Art of War, 1.26

We all know that many calculations is not part of US strategy under the current maladministration.

During a White House meeting last week, a group of governors asked President Bush and Marine Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, about their backup plan for Iraq. What would the administration do if its new strategy didn't work?

The conclusion they took away, the governors later said, was that there is no Plan B. "I'm a Marine," Pace told them, "and Marines don't talk about failure. They talk about victory."

Pace had a simple way of summarizing the administration's position, Gov. Phil Bredesen (D-Tenn.) recalled. "Plan B was to make Plan A work."

In the weeks since Bush announced the new plan for Iraq -- including an increase of 21,500 U.S. combat troops, additional reconstruction assistance and stepped-up pressure on the Iraqi government -- senior officials have rebuffed questions about other options in the event of failure. Eager to appear resolute and reluctant to provide fodder for skeptics, they have responded with a mix of optimism and evasion.
--Washington Post, 5 March 2007

One of the problems is that we never had a Plan A beyond invading and taking out Saddam. No plans for establishing the civil peace, no plans for sorting out any mess we might make, no plans for rebuilding beyond giving out lots of lucrative no-bid contracts to cronies in the energy and defense industries, no plan for winning hearts and minds, just no fucking plan whatsoever. Shock and awe followed by strut and preen (thanks Commander Codpiece). That was about it.

Well guess what? When you invade a nation you have to deal with it.

Oops.

Impeach him. Yesterday.
--the BB