UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES
Geoff Metcalf
March 24, 2003
NewsWithViews.comIn the wake of what appears to be the unbridled success of Operation Iraqi Freedom three unanticipated (albeit welcomed) defeats seem to be in the making.
Regime change in Iraq was never in doubt. The speed, precision, and professionalism of the US-led coalitions military victory is in some ways surprising and will no doubt result in new military field training manuals and course curricula for military schools from Fort Benning to assorted War Colleges. Baghdad should be in coalition control very soon.
However, the biggest losers in this campaign are not military:
· The United Nations has demonstrated to the world that they are a dysfunctional incompetent gaggle of petty, venial special interests. The international fiction that the UN is in someway a world government entity dedicated to managing geopolitically WHAT is good has been exposed. The UN is (and has been) a soap opera dysfunctional family of feuding egos only focused on WHO is right or wrong based on deep-seated prejudices and jealousy.
* France o Germany o Fence sitters Will pay very real and tangible consequences for their actions.
* The Democratic Party is self-destructing. It is self-destructing because of blind hubris of sycophant liberals more focused on posturing an unrealistic philosophy that in representing the wants and needs of their constituents. Conspicuous Democrat causalities are:
o Tom Daschle
o Hillary Clinton
o Charles Rangle
o John Conyers
o Mike Honda
o Stephanie Tubbs Jones
o Barbara Lee
o Jim McDermott
o Bobby Scott
o Fortney "Pete" Stark
o Edolphus Towns
o Maxine Waters
o Diane Watson* 21 Democrats voted "present" to the congressional resolution to support the troops. Wannabe presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich was among those who apparently cannot decide if they support our American military even while they are in harms way.
* Most of the Congressional Black Caucus voted "no" or "present/I don't know" to the support the troops resolution.
I have often quoted Teddy Roosevelt, "Patriotism means to stand by the country. It does NOT mean to stand by the President or any other public official save exactly to the degree in which he himself stands by the country. It is patriotic to support him insofar as he efficiently serves the country. It is unpatriotic not to oppose him to the exact extent that by inefficiency or otherwise he fails in his duty to stand by the country." I have used that quote to demonstrate the need to oppose various actions and inaction of the previous administration. The collorary of that is equally true. It IS unpatriotic TO oppose the president when by his actions he SUCCEEDS in his duty to stand by the country.
There are consequences to what we do and don't do. The UN, Democratic Party, and specific congressional obstructionists will inevitably pay a price for their reprehensible conduct.
* California's congressional delegation has done irreparable harm to the already reeling state. Five of the above are California Representatives.
Since the start of the war I have been providing military analysis for NewsMax to a variety of radio stations from Bob Grant on WOR in New York to Al Rantel on KABC in Los Angeles and dozens in between.
Before the first shot was fired we were told (the world was told) to anticipate the "Shock and Awe" demonstration of devastating high tech precise hi-tech whiz-bang technology. Instead the first action we heard of was a "target of opportunity" strike on a presumed meeting of Saddam Hussein and his generals. This was followed by a series (40-70) of vertically targeted strikes.
Long ago and far away I used to teach tactics in the U.S. Army. Three key principles, which have been axiomatic, are: Surprise, Firepower, and Violence of Action. The conventional wisdom was that we had sacrificed "surprise" but that "firepower" and "violence of action" would be so devastating to compensate for the loss of surprise. However, as the campaign progressed and I was talking to various people about what was happening, I had an epiphany. Hey, we really DID achieve "surprise". Not surprise in the traditional sense but rather in the form of misdirection.
As the world (and Iraq) waited for the promised "Shock and Awe" devastation, our coalition forces was dissecting the enemy capabilities with surgical precision.
* The strike on Iraqi leadership that may yet have succeeded in actually hitting Saddam Hussein, his family and inner circle. Fox News reports "Saddam Hussein is seen being placed on a stretcher and into an ambulance in photographs in the possession of the U.S. government showing what is described as "panicked digging" at the bunker/command-and-control facility that was struck in the first strike of the war March 19."
* The hit on the refueling depot, Post 160, between Baghdad and Amman,
* The Navy Seals capture of two humongous oil complexes at sea (and preventing their destruction). The two main oil shipment terminals were captured and secured. This action prevented Iraq from either damaging these key resources or flooding the gulf with millions of barrels of oil.
* 90% of Iraq's resources were early in control of coalition forces.
The Bush Coalition will win Operation Iraqi Freedom. Saddam Hussein is history…stick a fork in him…he's cooked (or dead).
What price the UN, Democratic Party, and California is yet to be seen.
© 2003 Geoff Metcalf - All Rights Reserved
Geoff is a veteran media performer. He has had an eclectic professional background covering a wide spectrum of radio, television, magazine, and newspapers. A former Green Beret and retired Army officer he is in great demand as a speaker. Metcalf has hosted his radio talk show on the ABC/Disney owned and operated KSFO and in worldwide syndication. www.geoffmetcalf.com