It’s Just My Opinion
By Harris R. Sherline
There’s Nothing New Under The Sun
Speaking about the
war in
Senator Reid has
plenty of company in his criticism of the way America’s War on Terror has
been progressing, not just among politicians but in the media as well and, of
course, the American public in general, none of whom, for the most part, have any
idea how this or any other war should be fought.
After
Gen. David Petraeus’ recent closed-door
congressional briefing sessions about the war, Congressman Duncan Hunter (CA-R)
said:
“One thing that [Iraqi war
theater commander Gen. David Petraeus] reminded
us was, this [war] is a test of wills, and he admonished us... that what we say
to the world, to our adversaries and our allies, is listened to by the other
side... It must come as a shock to Al-Qaida leaders
to have an aide come into their safe house and tell them that Senator [Harry]
Reid has declared that, in fact, they are winning and the war is lost. I think
it’s highly irresponsible for the leader of the U.S. Senate to have
said that and, just speaking for myself as the ranking Republican on the Armed
Services Committee, I think that the leader of the Senate should step down from
that position.” (Patriot Post, April 27, 2007)
What most people
don’t seem to recognize is that this sort of unrelenting criticism of the
way our leadership is prosecuting a war has happened before, most notably
during the
We often find that
our thoughts have been expressed by others in the past who were able to
articulate them far better than anything we might say ourselves today. So it is with the deluge of criticism
that has been blanketing the media establishment and American political scene
about the Iraq War. For example, in
1863, Robert E. Lee (1807-1870) wrote:
“It appears we have appointed our worst
generals to command forces, and our most gifted and brilliant to edit
newspapers! In fact, I discovered
by reading newspapers that these editor/geniuses plainly saw all my strategic
defects from the start, yet failed to inform me until it was too late. Accordingly, I’m readily willing
to yield my command to these obviously superior intellects, and I’ll, in
turn, do my best for the Cause by writing editorials – after the fact.”
In the 6th
Century BC, a Chinese warrior, Sun Tzu, wrote “The Art of War,”
which has been characterized as the “oldest military treatise in the
world” and is still studied by military students and strategists today,
some 2600 years later. It’s a
small book, but one that is filled with thought provoking, sometimes profound
ideas and practical advice, illustrating once again the oft quoted saying,
“There’s nothing new under the sun.”
Much of Sun
Tzu’s advice rings just as true today in modern
“All warfare is based on deception.”
Is there anyone who
cannot see that this applies directly to the current environment in which the
media, editorial writers and politicians of every stripe do not understand or
don’t care that their constant efforts to disclose classified information
to the public and our enemies in the process are both self-destructive and
dangerous, if not downright treasonous?
This is also clearly
illustrated by the current struggle between the President and Congress over his
authority as commander-in-chief of our armed forces and legislation to fund the
troops, which includes a poison pill that would set specific deadlines for
leaving
On the subject of
financing wars, Sun Tzu observed:
“When you engage in actual fighting, if
victory is long in coming, then men's weapons will grow dull and their ardor
will be damped.”
“Again, if the campaign is protracted,
the resources of the State will not be equal to the strain.”
“There is no instance of a country
having benefited from prolonged warfare.”
“Poverty of the State exchequer causes
an army to be maintained by contributions from a distance. Contributing to
maintain an army at a distance causes the people to be impoverished.”
These dictums are
clearly demonstrated by the way in which our management of the national budget
and spending is being handled. It
has been business as usual: uncontrolled spending and unbridled raiding of the
national treasury while trying to pay for the war at the same time.
“To see victory only when it is within the
ken of the common herd is not the acme of excellence.”
Harry Reid, Nancy
Pelosi, John Murtha and many other Democrats clearly exemplify this understated
but cogent observation.
Unfortunately, there are many others, too numerous to name, whose political
ambitions take precedence over our national defense.
“Peace proposals unaccompanied by a
sworn covenant indicate a plot.”
“We cannot enter into alliance with
neighboring princes until we are acquainted with their designs.”
“Hence he does not strive to ally
himself with all and sundry, nor does he foster the power of other states. He carries out his own secret designs,
keeping his antagonists in awe.”
Think about
“Hold out baits to entice the
enemy. Feign disorder, and crush
him”.
“If he is taking his ease, give him no
rest. If his forces are united, separate them”.
“Attack him where he is unprepared,
appear where you are not expected.”
In light of the
tactics they have been employing, this could be advice that the Taliban, al
Qaeda and the insurgents in
“But a kingdom that has once been destroyed
can never come again into being; nor can the dead ever
be brought back to life.”
“Thus, what enables the wise sovereign
and the good general to strike and conquer, and achieve things beyond the reach
of ordinary men, is foreknowledge.”
There is a great
deal more advice and commentary in Sun Tzu’s small book about war and,
although much of it may no longer apply directly in today’s environment
of modern technology and weaponry, it still contains enough wisdom and sound
strategic advice to continue being used as an important teaching tool in modern
military schools, such as West Point, proving once again that there is nothing
new under the sun.
But, that’s
just my opinion.
© 2007 Harris R. Sherline, All Rights
Reserved