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Anyone seen an aircraft carrier around here?
January 27, 2009 | Posted by Charlie - 11:00pm | 36 Comments
Holy $&!%, where have I been? A shoe shopping safari? A christmas fudge induced coma? Maybe I took Ex too seriously when he said we had nothing more to write about now that Tom Ricks was on the scene. (Btw, does Laura Rozen have the phones at Foggy Bottom wiretapped? Jaysus.)
Honestly, short answer: Jury Duty. Now in my fourth week. Phil Carter says it's my civic duty, so I've got that going for me.
More generally, my mental energy seems to be direct more toward the economic crisis than day-to-day activities in the COIN world. (Not that I know anything about economics.)
But one thing* has rousted me from my jury-induced turpitude: more inane comments from our friend at 8th and Eye. The Commandant wants to send Marines to Afghanistan, again, shifting troops from Iraq. (This isn't really news is most defense circles...people have been working this for quite some time.) But why does Gen Conway have to say such utterly maddening and patently false things like this?
"It's very much a nation-building kind of environment that's taking place there [Iraq]" now, Conway said, adding "that is not what we do, and we need those Marines elsewhere."
The United States Marine Corps: We don't promise you a rose garden (and we don't do windows, either).
For starters, this is ahistorical bullsh*t. (I'm of half a mind to send The Bateman over for a remedial lesson on Marine Corps history). The Marines have arguably done more of this sort of work than any other service; they literally wrote the book on it. (I know they don't have a lot of engineers or civil affairs guys. They also don't have enough helicopters or log to do the mission in Afghanistan, so it's not like they're perfectly suited to that task either.)
For another, we here at the world's greatest blog don't tolerate that kind of crap from the Air Force or Army, and Uncle Sam's Mistreated Children aren't going to get away with it either. Maybe Gen Mattis nees to take Gen Conway out back, smack him around a bit, and tell him to get on board for the big win. But this petty, 1980s-era inter-service dick waving has got to stop.
Oh, and if Gen Conway thinks he can "fight" his way out of the war in Afghanistan, then we have bigger problems than is political tone deafness. Unless of course he found a beach to storm in FATA. Or he could try listening to his boss.
Oorah.
*That, and Ex is right: how are we not the center of the COIN universe? This aggression shall not stand.
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