Comments on: A Retrospective of Retrospectives http://asecondhandconjecture.com/index.php/2008/03/22/a-retrospective-of-retrospectives/ Questions through the veil of ignorance Thu, 17 May 2012 04:17:26 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.3 By: peter jackson http://asecondhandconjecture.com/index.php/2008/03/22/a-retrospective-of-retrospectives/comment-page-1/#comment-169395 peter jackson Fri, 28 Mar 2008 05:32:19 +0000 http://asecondhandconjecture.com/index.php/2008/03/22/a-retrospective-of-retrospectives/#comment-169395 Yeah, humiliating defeat is bad. And an excellent reason for placing a really high bar for making war. Which is why The Afghanistan and Iraq wars are the only two US military actions that have occurred in my lifetime (I'm 43) that I personally feel were justified. Vietnam, Grenada, Panama, Haiti, Somalia, Bosnia... none of them were justified. The Gulf War is a special case. I opposed it vehemently as it was occurring, but understanding now as I didn't then that Saddam had designs on the region that would have almost certainly erupted into an even larger, more catastrophic regional war with grave consequences for US interests, I probably would have supported it. But that's not to say that I'm not still freaking furious that we left Saddam in power. If it weren't for that colossal blunder you and I wouldn't be having this conversation. Not that I regret having a conversation with you, Joshua, of course, it's the topic. You and I both believe the Iraq war was unnecessary, just for different reasons. yours/ peter. Yeah, humiliating defeat is bad. And an excellent reason for placing a really high bar for making war. Which is why The Afghanistan and Iraq wars are the only two US military actions that have occurred in my lifetime (I’m 43) that I personally feel were justified. Vietnam, Grenada, Panama, Haiti, Somalia, Bosnia… none of them were justified. The Gulf War is a special case. I opposed it vehemently as it was occurring, but understanding now as I didn’t then that Saddam had designs on the region that would have almost certainly erupted into an even larger, more catastrophic regional war with grave consequences for US interests, I probably would have supported it. But that’s not to say that I’m not still freaking furious that we left Saddam in power. If it weren’t for that colossal blunder you and I wouldn’t be having this conversation. Not that I regret having a conversation with you, Joshua, of course, it’s the topic. You and I both believe the Iraq war was unnecessary, just for different reasons.

yours/
peter.

]]> By: Joshua Foust http://asecondhandconjecture.com/index.php/2008/03/22/a-retrospective-of-retrospectives/comment-page-1/#comment-167713 Joshua Foust Thu, 27 Mar 2008 09:50:47 +0000 http://asecondhandconjecture.com/index.php/2008/03/22/a-retrospective-of-retrospectives/#comment-167713 I would agree with you, and with Clemenceau, if not for all the wars are that are a series of catastrophes that resulted in humiliating defeat. But yes, the Slate series is nothing more than moral masturbation. I would agree with you, and with Clemenceau, if not for all the wars are that are a series of catastrophes that resulted in humiliating defeat. But yes, the Slate series is nothing more than moral masturbation.

]]> By: peter jackson http://asecondhandconjecture.com/index.php/2008/03/22/a-retrospective-of-retrospectives/comment-page-1/#comment-164174 peter jackson Tue, 25 Mar 2008 06:15:58 +0000 http://asecondhandconjecture.com/index.php/2008/03/22/a-retrospective-of-retrospectives/#comment-164174 "War is a series of catastrophes that results in a victory." Georges Clemenceau If this is your understanding of practical war, as it is mine, the entire Slate series comes off as so much self-concerned whining. yours/ peter. “War is a series of catastrophes that results in a victory.” Georges Clemenceau

If this is your understanding of practical war, as it is mine, the entire Slate series comes off as so much self-concerned whining.

yours/
peter.

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