Top down or bottom up … America in Mesopotamia

Why are we even there? What is different from all the others like the Brits and the Russians and other colonialists who have expended themselves for their reasons before us? Why not let the locals fight on to kill each other for their own reasons, and then live or die with the results? That is a legitimate argument, often called the diplomatically realistic view of the region and the people. What prompted the alternatives to the realistic view is that we were attacked by those in Mesopotamia. Thousands of Americans died on our own shores, killed by those born and educated and financed in Mesopotamia. And now we even have the puppet president of Iran threatening to nuke Israel, an ally in name and values. So the debate expands as whether to believe the president of Iran or not. The analogies to how our ancestors listened to Hitler cry out. Now do we listen to the president of Iran, or do otherwise, whatever that is.

Much of the American prosecution of the war and winning the peace in Iraq is full of much friction, mostly over the poor experience of our leaders out of D.C. The President gets much blame as he should, but do not leave out our Congress and their part in all this. Even the media and pundits try get involved, but in the end it is the politicians and voters that run the government. Now smart words and phrases like small wars, respect for all foes, becoming police and local, listening, using our money for influence, and winning the peace means jobs and families and security in Monterey, be it be the city in Texas, California, Mexico, or Tennessee.

One debate is the purpose of our future ground military. Let me suggest that militaries are to defend our country primarily. Let me suggest that police, otherwise called traditional names such as police, constabulary, gendarmes, or para-military, do all the other things we pay for as taxpayers. Advanced thinkers, hedging their bets some think, suggest our Army of the future has to think small wars as part of how to organize and train and educate. Given the present war of winning the peace in Iraq, they have a very good point. The point is so very well amplified by all the initiatives of officers; commissioned, staff non commissioned, and non commissioned. It appears we Americans should be so proud of what our young soldiers and Marines are doing by pure instinct and values. None of this is taught in military school.

In the end, we Americans can listen to those on the ground in Mesopotamia, and learn. This is the bottom line way to decide to vote. Are Americans politicians, or just Americans?