Comments on: The McChrystal Method

By: Jeff Huber

Jeff Huber — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 11:27:39 +0000

It gets worse every day.

By: Rich

Rich — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 23:05:18 +0000

Eight American soldiers were killed yesterday in Afganistan.
The eight were assigned to a remote outpost in a barren valley. They were in a “shooting gallery” with very little protection.

What kind of a general would do that to his soldiers?
McChrystal is a politician who is willing to sacrifice a few soldiers so he can get his 45,000 additional troops. He’s not a competent General.

McChrystal MUST be removed!

By: tajitj

tajitj — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 02:20:52 +0000

I want to know when these Generals start to get relieved? How come every few years, in our latest wars, we bring in a new General how says we are losing and need to do X. So what about the guy he replaced? What was he doing having our guys over there just sitting around losing the war?
It is a bunch of politically lead showcase of warmongering. Bring in a new General so we can escalate a war and never really question the effecitness of the whole idea behind it.

By: Dr. William Agnew

Dr. William Agnew — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 21:39:31 +0000

Defeating an armed insurgency is no longer possible, and has not been for quite some time.

The leveler? The AK-47.

The ability to conquer and hold nations is based on nothing but extreme technological superiority, the kind not seen since the 1800′s when native Americans and Africans fought invading riflemen with bows and spears.

One man armed with an assault rifle can now inflict as much damage on an invader as 500 men in the colonial past. True machine guns, RPGs and IEDs only enhance this strength.

War has always been a horrible mistake, but the current reality of the destructive capability of the armed insurgent makes it the endeavor of the catastrophically ignorant.

By: ranger

ranger — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 19:05:51 +0000

Generals need to make war, politicians need to lie and steal, and scorpions need to sting–its their nature. The majority of Americans need to stop supporting this stupidity. How many Americans support an armed force from (___fill in blank__) to kick the current crop of idiots out of Washington DC so we can return to a Constitutional government?

By: Adam Rurik

Adam Rurik — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 15:46:27 +0000

B-B-But Bill (non-Mc) Kristol says “escalate!”

By: Matthew Moriarty

Matthew Moriarty — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 13:36:46 +0000

Politically, why are we in Afghanistan in the first place? Why don’t we spend all that money here at home on our critically declining infrastructure and on providing at least some minimum standard of health-care for the 40 million people in the US, who can’t afford health insurance? General McChrystal proposal to expand the war in Afghanistan will take more money and more resources from Americans, who are increasingly facing financial ruin and homelessness. The President needs to stop this war now and fix America.

By: PCnik

PCnik — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 10:40:56 +0000

McChrystal–contrary to what his name suggests–is totally obtuse with his “assessment.” Much like his old boss Rump-svelt, warlord Stan can say with absolute certainty that he “knows the knowns,” but also that he cannot know the unknowns, ad infinitum…What a sad commentary on the USA empire’s “most brilliant” COINTELPRO(as opposed to counter-insurgency expert), whose only expertise is in putting out veiled threats to his political boss.

By: John

John — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 05:22:50 +0000

I’m trying to understand why a self respecting liberal like myself keeps getting drawn to articles in American Conservative, actually I know that it’s that being liberal and conservative are not mutually exclusive. Logic and common sense are not political terms. What Jeff Huber writes makes good use of both.

By: Michael

Michael — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 04:33:57 +0000

How refreshing to read an author who actually thinks clearly, takes a sensible, skeptical approach to war, puts a premium on common sense and decency, and can turn a phrase. That 999 of 1000 Americans who are actually serving in government are unwilling or unable to communicate in this way tells us all we need to know about Washington: It’s run by special interests and bribed officials who are far more interested in profits and power than in truth and the rule of law.

By: JihadLizard

JihadLizard — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 23:23:17 +0000

Great article. Anyone ever wonder why our elites are so desperate to perfect counter-insurgency (COIN)? They know they have to perfect it overseas before they have to export it back to our Nation. COIN is a pandora’s box that transforms societies, both those that practice it and those that are its targets. The French experience in Algeria is a cautionary tale about what happens when the military thinks it knows more than their elected civilian leadership.

By: Erik

Erik — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 20:10:13 +0000

Good Article…

Hopefully Obama is waking up to what is going on in Afghanistan…