WEST POINT: SOMETHING TO PISS EVERYBODY OFF

The Righties are unhappy because there's an "best when used by" date on the War Plan. The lefties are unhappy because BHO is not going to plunk his magic twanger and end the war immediately. They are also unhappy because the Prez didn't embrace nation building.

Whether this is courageous or just splitting the middle, I have no idea. But your friendly Basin has a much more fundamental problem with the plan.

The first wave of new troops is largely Marines. The United States Marine Corps is the finest Light Infantry assault force in the history of man. You wanna capture a hill, you send USMC to do it. Light Infantry is not a "stay-in-one-place-and-build-relationships" force. The whole "Hearts and Minds" strategy is counter to what Marines do (Yes, I know they adopted some of this around Fallujah but that was the product of the personality of one officer in one unit, not unique training.). I am deeply concerned that we are asking the First Wave to do something outside of their training and expertise. When you want your appendix out, you don't call a plumber and when you need a new hot water heater, you don't call an optometrist.

I would have preferred some clear thinking about Where AQ is now and what talent packages we have available to do what jobs. I would have preferred somebody to tell me what victory will look like, so we can recognize it when we achieve it. But, of course, I hope this "works", whatever that may mean.