Shoulder to Shoulder with Pakistan Not Our American Benefactors

As reported initially in Politico and repeated with glee in the New York Times, Major General Peter Fuller was fired by Hillary Clinton and President Obama for calling a spade a spade.  For speaking honestly and truthfully.  When told by Politico that Afganistan President Hamad Karzai stated that Afganistan would defend and aid Pakistan if Pakistan was attacked by the USA, Fuller responded, "Why don't you just poke me in the eye with a needle!  You've got to be kidding me."  "I'm sorry we just gave you 11.6 Billion USD and now your telling me, I don't really care?"   


The New York Times and Politico both actually report that General Alan made the decision to relieve General Fuller of his command.  If you believe that I have a bridge in Brooklyn I'll sell you.  


Everyone seems to agree that What General Fuller said was true.  Karzai, is erratic, inarticulate and ungrateful for US assistance.  No one denies that fact, not the army, not Politico or The New York Times.  But I guess our generals are not suppose to speak the truth.


Since I have a family member at risk in Afghanistan I have been researching our Military's operational policies on a big picture basis and on a micro level trying to understand current operational tactics techniques and procedures (TTP).    Probably the most articulate writer on our Afghanistan policies is, Diana West author of the best selling book, The Death of the Grown Up   In one of Diana's more recent weekly blogs she writes,  You don't win hearts and minds by losing your own.   Diana concludes this blog with the following paragraph describing Maj Jim Gant's implementation of his "One Tribe at a Time" concept.

Gant's big idea is to insert small teams like his own into other tribes. "They must be able to `go native,'" Gant writes, and "steadily integrate themselves into tribal life and customs." As my reader might say: Great, just great.

Whether Gant's plan for special forces is fully implemented, one thing is as clear as a Joint Chief on a rug: You don't have to be fighting for Sitting Bull to see the horizon through the other's eyes. But that's not how you win hearts and minds; it's how you lose your own."

I'm afraid the US Army leadership is losing it's way again just as they did during the middle and end of the Vietnam war.  Just because an idea is new and "innovative" like Major Gant's.   doesn't mean it's a good idea or that it's not going to get allot of good soldiers killed.