For lack of knowing what to do they do what they know

They most popular version of this is that the military is always preparing to fight the last war. But it is just as applicable to our political leaders and their hired staffs inside the D.C. beltway.

After winning the war, when the priority for training the Iraqi security forces went to the military and not the gendarmes, or constabularies, or quasi-military police forces, a large red flag went up for many. Most experienced military TV pundits spoke about a window of opportunity closing, and they gave a time table. And then the window closed. The needed Iraqi family income jobs and local security never materialized. The American military was doing what it knew and what it was trained for, and it was very professional about doing it . And the State Department, AID, and numerous NGO organizations did what they thought was their part of winning the peace, usually under the guise of nation building as they had been trained. Clinton even published an order in the late 1990’s requiring all bureaucracies to work together, though in best D.C. fashion no chain of command and budget authority went with it.

And now in the best WWII leadership examples, the top General in Iraq and the Ambassador are voluntarily working together better than anyone else since the winning of the Iraq war. They are savvy and practical and smart and worthy of all support possible from the inside the D.C. beltway as well as the country. And having a Navy fellow at Central Command takes advantage of his earlier experience, professional education, and his assigned almost pro consul type duties. It also provides good balance to playing it by ear rather than doing what we know.

At least the Executive has admitted mistakes, and taken corrective action by his choice of new players to accomplish his goals. Maybe he can avoid fighting the last war, and actually fight this new war.

The saddest most exasperating part of the whole Iraq experience is that of our Congress and their hired staffs. Their performance to date has made the military look like total true professionals. In a group of 535 arm chair generals and secretaries of state and librarians of congress, along with their hired staffs, most, primarily democrats, come across as focused on the 2008 elections for their power’s sake, and not our national interest. The citizens revolt against the two tries of the Senate and the Executive to force their immigration solution down the citizens throats shows the disconnect between citizens and politicians is there, and quite strong. Most appalling about Iraq is the obvious intentional and disingenuous practice of many in Congress to vote a time table without any discussion of an alternative or the consequences of leaving on an announced, and quite short time table. This is irresponsible. Even if there is an unannounced (so far) plan to blame the forecasted results on someone else, do they think the citizens are that dumb enough to buy it when their jobs and families are threatened? If politicians vote polls and the election of 2008 for their political gain and at our citizen expense, then they might not like the resulting polls, to include the vote. But by then it will be too late for them.

Another group also suffers from the lack of knowing what to do syndrome. There is a whole cottage industry inside the D.C. beltway of for-hire campaign managers, media advisers, pollsters, focus group organizers and analyzers. They apparently also are managing the last campaign, or war.

The ideas are not like the old 60’s love it or leave it themes. This is serious national business of which the congress is 1/3 of government. This is not the Vietnam war nor it is some last gasp counter culture feel good exercise. This is not the 1930’s expression of American isolationism and pacifism. Nor it is some cynical instinct about history. This is America in the early 21st century and our collective future, as well as many like us in the world.

One can think of the future as old world compared to the new world. Or one can think we will only do what we know because we know not what to do. The results to date are poor as to the politician’s (and their hired minions) ability to think about this, and vote our national interests. Maybe it’s back to Vietnam, and the counter cultures last hurrah, albeit at our expense. Or maybe it’s not.