Tuesday, March 25, 2003
TWO PERSPECTIVES ON THE WAR: From Nicholas Kristof's guide to the war in today's NY Times:

Will the invasion get bogged down? ...."I think the Americans will need a new strategy," warned a senior official in an allied Arab government. That may be alarmist, because it's too soon to reach judgments. But it's fair to ask questions, and a key indicator will be whether we see more places like Umm Qasr. Will ordinary Iraqis shower U.S. troops with flowers? If the White House vision — that Iraqi citizens would cheer our invasion — was borne out, that would go a long way to defuse antagonism toward us in Europe and the Arab world. So far, though, the effusive welcome the White House counted on has been largely absent.... A Reuters correspondent, Rosalind Russell, saw a group of Iraqi youths waving as a convoy of British tanks and trucks rolled by. But once it had passed, their smiles turned to scowls. "We don't want them here," said 17-year-old Fouad. He pulled out a photo of Saddam from the waistband of his trousers and said defiantly: "Saddam is our leader. Saddam is good."........"The plan was for troops to secure Umm Qasr so they would have the port to bring in wheat, and then make their way up to Basra with camera crews in tow, all easy and bloodless, where everybody would give them a big hug," an aid worker said. Instead, quite predictably, we're now besieging Basra, where one million people have been without electricity and clean water since Thursday — a deprivation that's likely to make them more hostile to US occupation.

This from David Warren courtesy of Andrew Sullivan:

You wouldn't know it from reading most of the papers, but the war in Iraq is going fabulously well. After just five days the US Third Infantry Division and supporting units are approaching Baghdad. The immense steel column continues to drive reinforcements across the Iraqi desert, while its leading edge rumbles through the fields, villages, and waterways of Mesopotamia. To its rear, the "sleeper cells" of Ba'athist and terrorist hitmen waiting in ambush are being eliminated one by one. Special forces have seized bridges, dams, airstrips, oil and gas fields, and weapons sites all over the country. The US Air Force has devastated leadership targets, military infrastructure, and the physical symbols of the Saddam regime, across Baghdad and elsewhere. Allied troops have Basra, Nasiriyah, now Karbala, and other Iraqi cities surrounded, and are tightening each noose. Snipers in the towns are being patiently deleted. The "Scud box" of western Iraq is in allied hands, daily more secure, and allied forces are building with endless air deployments to the northern front. In all, the allies have taken only a few dozen killed, and a couple hundred lesser casualties -- many of these from small accidents within the most amazing and vast logistical exercise since our troops landed in Normandy.

Two obviously different tones when it comes to describing the progress of the war to date. I think, and hope, the truth lies much closer to the description from Mr. Warren.

IRAQI TV?: Hindsight is always 20/20 and the last thing I want to do is join the chorus of the naysayers (less than one week into this conflict) suggesting our strategy "needs a rethink." However I do find myself asking why have we left Iraqi TV on the air. I understand the desire to leave as much infrastructure intact as possible, but I don't see the rationale for leaving the regime's communication apparatus alive. Maybe we are deliberately leaving some high profile targets out there so if we need to escalate the "shock and awe" we have some very visible targets left. Perhaps there is a fear if we take out all the possible targets in Baghdad right away and there is still no surrender we would then be left with only civilian or nonmilitary targets. By leaving many sites including Iraqi TV standing, we have some simple high-profile targets left to pulverize in the next few days if escalation is called for. Another possibility is that maybe we feel there is a real chance of a coup or a situation where Saddam's opposition will gain control of Iraqi TV. Just a couple of thoughts, but on a personal level I would like to see Iraqi TV blown off the air very soon. It won't take long to rebuild it once Baghdad is liberated.

NOT ENOUGH SHOCK AND AWE?: Some military criticism from the political right:
Shock, Awe and Overconfidence - Ralph Peters
Shock and Worry - Christopher Ruddy

Like I said above hindsight is always 20/20. Have mistakes been made? Sure. There are always going to be mistakes. But less than a week into this war the preponderance of evidence leads me to conclude that this is a strategy that has been well thought out and is proceeding along more or less according to plan. Everyone, on all sides, needs to just have some patience and give our military leaders the trust and support they deserve.

ANOTHER LOW FOR KRUGMAN:

"By and large, recent pro-war rallies haven't drawn nearly as many people as antiwar rallies, but they have certainly been vehement. One of the most striking took place after Natalie Maines, lead singer for the Dixie Chicks, criticized President Bush: a crowd gathered in Louisiana to watch a 33,000-pound tractor smash a collection of Dixie Chicks CD's, tapes and other paraphernalia. To those familiar with 20th-century European history it seemed eerily reminiscent of. . . . But as Sinclair Lewis said, it can't happen here."

So there you have it straight from The NY Times editorial page, Americans who chose to destroy their own private property to protest the disgraceful conduct of people like the Dixie Chicks or Michael Moore are 'eerily reminiscent' of Nazis.   J. McIntyre 7:53 am