Take the Gloves off

I have been asking myself this a lot lately: Why are our politicians intent on making our troops fight with both hands tied behind their backs? As Victor Davis Hansen reports, the inability of our troops - hamstrung by their ROE - to target a Sadr, to kill Iranian and Syrian insurgents crossing the borders, or target "civilians" in the act of setting out roadside bombs is not helping our cause or making Iraq any more secure.

The world knows how deadly our military can be when it's unleashed. The question is, why is that leash on, and who's controlling it?

I can't help but draw a comparison to the fall of the Roman Republic. The battle of Pharsalus, in 48 BC, effectively ended the domination of the Roman Republic, and ushered in an age of dictators and emperors. Julius Caesar, waging a civil war against the Republic was on his last legs. His army was decimated and on the run. On the other hand the Republic's army, led by Pompey, was well fed, well armed, rested, and outnumbered the remnants of Caeser's army by about 2-1. All Pompey had to do was wait out Caeser's army and go in and pick up the pieces as it starved to death.

However, the politicians traveling with Pompey were weary of war and succeeded in convincing Pompey that they needed to deal Caeser a crushing defeat and be rid of him once and for all. Pompey's ill advised attack cost him the battle as Caeser annihilated the Republic's forces.

Now, we have all seen what happens when politicians wage war. They lost the battle for Rome, they lost the battle in Vietnam and their insistence on fighting a politically correct war - a war that gives the enemy more rights than our own troops - may very well cost us this one.

I have every bit of faith in our troops at home and overseas. They are the best of us. But our politicians scare me to no end.