A Brief Conversation with Myself

The “We stand down when they stand up” slogan has bothered me for some time, especially in the light of all the news reports about how inadequate our training efforts have been. Why the heck haven’t we done this right?


Suddenly an argument broke out in my brain – the left side against the right side, the optimist against the pessimist – I don’t know. I do know that in this little colloquy lies the seed of inaction:

WE SPOKE....

Put more and better military and police training personnel to work training the Iraqis. (Shoulda been doing that for two years.)

WON’T WORK. THOSE PEOPLE ARE LOYAL TO THEIR MULLAHS & THEIR MILITIAS, NOT TO THE “UNIFIED GOVERNMENT.”

Equip them better. Give them decent body armor, vehicles and communications gear.

WON’T WORK. THEY WILL JUST USE THE GEAR IN ATTACKS ON US.

Get them paid their salaries on time – might win a bit of the loyalty back to the government.

WON’T WORK. THEY WILL FUNNEL MUCH OF THE MONEY TO THEIR MILITIAS.

Buy their loyalty with salaries like we pay the mercenaries from Blackwater USA, DynCorp, L-3, etc.

WON’T WORK. WE CAN’T AFFORD IT.

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