"Winning Big" article from NY Post - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

domchang · #1 03-24-2003, 09:41 PM

great article today on New York Post:

Click here for the article

Here's the first few lines, click the above link for the full article, it's worth reading!

WINNING BIG

By RALPH PETERS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

March 24, 2003 -- IN combat, the ideal leader is the man who remains calm and methodical under fire. Today's 24/7 broadcast news demands just the opposite: raised voices, an atmosphere of crisis and a rush to judgment.
After declaring victory on Friday and Saturday, a number of media outlets all but announced our defeat yesterday, treating the routine events of warfare as if they were disasters.

Nonsense.

We're winning, the Iraqis are losing, and the American people have executive seats for what may prove to be the most successful military campaign in history.

I do recognize that the majority of our journalists are doing their best to cover this war accurately and fairly. But, with a few admirable exceptions, even seasoned reporters lack the perspective needed to judge the war's progress. Few have read military history. Even fewer have served in the military. They simply don't understand what they are seeing.

Every low-level firefight seems a great battle to them. Each pause in the advance is read as a worrisome delay. While they see friendly casualties up close, they rarely witness the devastation inflicted on our enemies. And when isolated groups of Iraqis do stand and fight, the journalists imply it means the Iraqi people are opposed to our intervention.

Let's try to understand what's actually happening.

PC Dave · #2 03-24-2003, 11:10 PM

Thanks, Dom. Excellent article, and one I wish a lot of the "embedded" reporters would read. They all seem to think that a firefight in front of them is the biggest battle of the war, and some American bodies means we're losing. You hate to lose anyone, but it is a war, and as Rummy likes to say "the outcome is not in doubt".

Peters published an excellent book 2-3 years ago on the nature of warfare in the current decade; it's very relevant if anyone can find it at their library (or pay the $20, what the hell).

#3 03-24-2003, 11:35 PM

Just read the whole article. Thanks for posting it. Hopefully it'll give some perspective to other "boneheads" out there besides the media!

And yes, time is definitely on OUR side.

domchang · #4 03-25-2003, 04:42 PM

here's the first few lines and a link to the full article:

click here for the full article

NO 'BAGHDAD BLOODBATH'

By RALPH PETERS

March 25, 2003 -- THE war in Iraq yesterday was a story of the dog - or many dogs - that didn't bark. Iraqi forces remained unable to launch significant counterattacks. Irregular forces failed to mount serious threats to our rear area. Regime officals continued to wave their arms and tell us that now we've really made them mad. And allied forces continued to move toward Baghdad.
We lost at least one Apache attack helicopter, probably to an aircraft malfunction. But what no one at home got to see was the destruction our strikes left amidst the Medina Division of the Republican Guards - despite the Iraqis positioning many of their combat vehicles in civilian neighborhoods.

PC Dave · #5 03-25-2003, 05:01 PM

Another excellent article. This guy may be the funniest military analyst I've ever read.

blackmercedes · #6 03-25-2003, 06:17 PM

"Fast guys don't show their muscle."

The US has been confident, but certainly not arrogant. GWB has bene saying all along that the war might drag on a bit, since this is not the same battle fought in 1991. This is not the suppression of further air attacks on Kuwait. This is the overthrow of an entire nation.

But, it is HILARIOUS to watch Iraqui TV claiming their victory is at hand.

My wife taught in a neighbourhood where most of the families were Iraqi. Their entire culture places little stock in being truthful. In fact, lying to obtain something for yourself was something to trylu boast about. This is not a judgement, but we need to understand that their culture does not hold the same things in high regard. She found them hateful of women, and their disdain of western culture eventually made her leave the school. I often wondered why they stayed if they hated us so. Seeing the pictures of Iraq, I get it.

mikemover · #7 03-25-2003, 07:55 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by blackmercedes
I often wondered why they stayed if they hated us so. Seeing the pictures of Iraq, I get it.

hahaha...I often wonder the same thing! Why would anyone fight to the death for a worthless piece of desert? (Well, there's the oil resources underneath it, but it's not like anyone but Saddam ever sees any of that money!) But so much of the real estate all over the Middle East, not just Iraq, is just a WASTELAND...To invoke some Star Wars imagery--A lot of the land they've been fighting over for thousands of years in Isreal, Turkey, Iraq, Iran, Palestine, etc...It makes Luke Skywalker's bleak home on Tattooine look like paradise! I mean, I would just MOVE, ya' know?

Come on... Costa Rica, Iceland, Brazil, Alaska, northern CA, Ireland...now THAT'S some geography worth fighting for! But for a huge, flat, unliveable sandbox...I wouldn't die for it.

Seriously, I firmly agree with the principle and intentions of our efforts over there, as you all know, but I also wonder how you can ever change such deeply ingrained cultural hatred. And I'm not even talking about the hatred that the radical Muslims have for us. I'm talking about history from WAAAAAAAYYYYY back! They've been fighting each other for thousands of years...Removing Saddam will make us and most Iraqis better off, and I fully support it, but how long will it last? How can you truly unite a nation or a region full of people who have hated each other for centuries?

Mike

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