They have a strategy, we have tactics.

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the interpretation of President Bush's statements regarding military strategy and tactics in the context of the Iraq War. Participants explore the implications of these terms and express skepticism about the clarity and effectiveness of the stated strategies.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants express frustration over the lack of clarity in Bush's strategy, questioning why it is not shared with the public.
  • One participant suggests that the strategy involves extreme measures against Iraqi males of fighting age, reflecting a critical perspective on the administration's approach.
  • Another participant notes that the previous strategy of "stay the course" lacked flexibility and adaptability to changing circumstances.
  • There is a discussion about the difference between strategy and tactics, with some participants seeking clarification on these terms.
  • One participant critiques the explanation provided by Snow, suggesting it obfuscates the true meaning of strategy by broadening its definition.
  • Another participant highlights that the stated strategy consists of three interlocking approaches, questioning the substance of these approaches and the lack of actionable verbs in the explanation.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the clarity and effectiveness of the military strategy, with no consensus on the interpretation of Bush's statements or the adequacy of the proposed strategies.

Contextual Notes

Some participants note the ambiguity in the definitions of strategy and tactics, as well as the potential limitations in understanding the administration's military approach.

Jimmy Snyder
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The following is an MSNBC paraphrase from Bush's speech today:

Bush said that as those fighting American and Iraqi forces change their strategies, the United States is also adjusting its military tactics.

Unfortunately, I cannot provide a direct quote. If he has a strategy, I wish he'd share it with the rest of us.
 
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jimmysnyder said:
If he has a strategy, I wish he'd share it with the rest of us.

I think his strategy is to arrest and torture all Iraqi males of fighting age for the remainder of their miserable lives. :bugeye:
 
jimmysnyder said:
The following is an MSNBC paraphrase from Bush's speech today:

Bush said that as those fighting American and Iraqi forces change their strategies, the United States is also adjusting its military tactics.

Unfortunately, I cannot provide a direct quote. If he has a strategy, I wish he'd share it with the rest of us.

Until recently Bush/Cheney/Rumsfeld had but only one strategy, "stay the course", regardless. They needed to be more flexible and aaptable to the changing situation. It is almost as if they could not admit that they were not succeeding.
 
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The paraphrase is pretty accurate. The statement reffers to changing tactics, not strategy.
 
edward said:
Until recently Bush/Cheney/Rumsfeld had but only one strategy, "stay the course", regardless.
In this context, I don't understand the difference between course and strategy. Stay what course?
 
LURCH said:
The paraphrase is pretty accurate.
Are you able to provide a direct quote?
 
In the last briefing, Snow made it a point to explain how he will be using the terms 'strategy' and 'tactics'. His explanation, however, was a little bit of an obfuscation...because he took the standard military definitions of the terms and them broadened them up enough that what is now called 'strategy' was once called 'graduating out of kindergarten'.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2006/10/20061023-2.html
 
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Gokul43201 said:
In the last briefing, Snow made it a point to explain how he will be using the terms 'strategy' and 'tactics'.

Thanks Gokul43201, I assume this is the explanation you refer to:

The strategy is to help Iraq defend, sustain, and govern itself, using three different approaches, all of which are interlocking and all of which are dependent upon the others, and that's security, economic and political. That's not going to change.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2006/10/20061023-2.html

OK, so our strategy has three interlocking approaches, one of which is a noun and the other two are adjectives. But these are just the NAMES of the strategies, not the actual strategies. Hey Mr. President, can you throw us a verb?
 
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