Trump Trainwreck - Ongoing diary of betrayal and evil

[Bob Butler 54]

(12-11-2016, 02:45 PM)Warren Dew Wrote: It's definitely not a blue/red thing.  The thing is, fighting "a war to win" is exactly gratifying emotions.  Logical reasons for fighting a war would be things like increasing US or world security, and those objectives are likely to require indefinite participation, rather than withdrawal after the war is "won" militarily.

I'm simply going to disagree here. Cynic Hero is an extreme representative of the Scotts Irish Hillbilly tradition of glorifying violence. I'd recommend The Cousins Wars as an historical review of the English Civil War, American Revolution, American Civil War eras presented from the point of view that the three conflicts were a continuation of one conflict. It covers how the Scotts Irish perspective came to America. Hillbilly Eulogy shows a more immediate and modern view of what became of the Scotts Irish tradition since. Trump's vague and unspecific hints that direct action could get better results than what Obama has been doing seem to play to the sort of attitude Cynic Hero pushes.

I'd push the use of counterinsurgency tactics against insurgencies, an awareness of the politics of the region the war is being fought over, while keeping the Powell Doctrine always in mind. These are the more rational approach to fighting and winning wars, if indeed there is something worth fighting for and a possibility of achieving such. Tactics are important. Occupation of territory invites hostility and resentment and should be avoided. Fighting factions such as Al Qaida and ISIS that export terror are to my mind futile, but I don't think the American People are ready to abandon the War on Terror. Perhaps because of this, Obama and Hillary have slower to withdraw than I'd prefer.

I'm not saying that Cynic Hero represents the typical Republican or that all Republicans embrace the Scotts Irish Hillbilly culture, but you seem to be flipping things upside down. I find it similar to calling Hillary and Obama a neocons, when the neocons were 'stay the course' while the Democrats were 'cut and run'. So much of the arguments about the war involves considerable doublethink.