On Tuesday, March 4, 2014 7:08:14 AM UTC-6, F.O.A.D. wrote:



Oh, I'm not denying or minimizing the casualties...


Harry, You rarely minimize casualties, especially when bloating figures make a better point for you.



simply the fact that
we have avoided engaging enemies, real or imagined, who we thought could

fight back in a serious fashion.

Those enemies have done the same with us as well...



That was true in Korea and in Vietnam,

as it was in Iraq. The military thinking for those events was that "the

enemy" was a a pushover and our troops "would be home soon."

If politicians hadn't stood in the way of either, our troops "would be home soon."





The hawks liked to tout the fact that the Iraqi military was "one of the

largest" in the world, and "modern." But the reality was there wasn't

much to the formal military establishment there beyond a large arsenal,

and everyone knew that.

The "hawks" You mean like the Albright, Clintons? Shumer, Kerry...?



We are not going to get into a shooting war with a large, capable

determined military, like those of Russia or China. Do you think otherwise?

No. There's no need to.