SIC TRANSIT GLORIA MUNDI !!!!

By  J.M. Hamilton (5-7-11)

Kudos and accolades to the fine men and women in uniform, and of course the Commander in Chief, for taking down the biggest embodiment of evil on the planet.  Of course with Democracy all the rage in Arabia, Mr. Bin Ladin’s shelf-life as the ultimate villain was clearly on the wane; which might cause conspiracy theorist to posit was OBL in a safe house within Pakistan for the last five years, or was he, perhaps unknowingly, under house arrest by the Pakistani authorities?   One thing is for sure, we probably only know but a fragment of this story, and more is sure to leak out over time; either way, and conjecture aside, this is a tremendous success produced by the Seals and the Obama administration.  That said, there are some quick and immediate lessons here for this administration and America:

1)     It was not the Surge that took down OBL, nor was it over 100,000 boots on the ground fighting nearly a ten year war in Afghanistan, it was special operations, intel, stealth, CIA and drones.  This administration gets it.  This is how wars of the 21^st Century will largely be fought against guerrillas, mercenaries, and proxy forces.   Can America, now, please pull out of Afghanistan and cut defense spending?   The political capital President Obama has earned, the military “cred,” has to be worth something?   Time to slaughter the fatted calf(s), and get our fiscal house in order?

2)    One recent wag wrote that “Pakistan is the AIG of nation-states.”  Well if that is true, Afghanistan is the Countrywide Financial of nation-states, that is to say, a bottomless pit of corruption and rip-offs.   Just ask Bank of America.   Which begs the question, is it time bring our men and women home yet?

3)    This quote comes from the movie Patton, is often attributed to Patton, and smacks of Hollywood, but it appears most appropriate in this instance:

"For over a thousand years Roman conquerors returning from the wars enjoyed the honor of triumph, a tumultuous parade. In the procession came trumpeteers, musicians and strange animals from conquered territories, together with carts laden with treasure and captured armaments. The conquerors rode in a triumphal chariot, the dazed prisoners walking in chains before him. Sometimes his children robed in white stood with him in the chariot or rode the trace horses. A slave stood behind the conqueror holding a golden crown and whispering in his ear a warning: that all glory is fleeting."

4)    Remember George Bush – Herbert Walker:  President Bush (the elder), who unlike junior, knew how to fight wars, that is, in-n-out with surgical precision and U.N. backing.  However, despite high poll numbers after the Gulf War, and seeming assurances of a second term, President Bush went down in defeat in his ’92 re-election bid.   Turns out war glory truly was fleeting for the first President Bush.

5)    Remember Mr. Greene’s 28^th Law of Power, Enter Action with Boldness.  Now is exactly the time for this administration to kick some serious ass on the opposition.  Pick a target, and take it to them.

And speaking of the 28^th law, your humble blogger plans to take some time off to attend to some personal affairs, but we will continue to post free economic and political thought.  And I look forward to writing more editorials soon.  Have a great summer!

http://blog.jmhamiltonpublishing.com/2010/07/31/no-more-afghanistans-3.aspx

http://blog.jmhamiltonpublishing.com/2010/09/04/one-can-love-our-fightening-men-and-women-and-appreciate-the-techie-tech-of-the-defense-industry-but-also-glance-at-the-mic-and-recognize-that-it-is-fubar.aspx