Friday, March 21, 2003

For the whiners who complain that President Bush doesn't have a 'real' coalition because we are doing all the fighting need to answer something first. Well, first of all thy have to explain away the Australian RAAF fighters flying combat missions, SAS troops on the ground, as well as all the British troops. And of course you have to discount the other small contingents that have been sent (by the way go dig up a breakdown of troops involved in combat in the first Gulf War. Surprised to find out the heavy lifters were British and American?). And the fact that every Gulf Emirate has troops and ships in Kuwait as part of the defense.

Okay, let's set them aside for a moment. Now, you say you want a big military coalition like last time. Do this for me. Turn on your TV. Any news channel. Note the tanks streaming across the desert at 35-45 miles an hour headed for Baghdad and Basra. Name me one country that has an armored division that could keep up. Not even the British armor has that sort of capability. Note the SAS, British and American Special Forces on the ground in and around Mosul and Kirkuk. Name me another nation that could get to that field of battle. When the French were trying to get to Kosovo they had to rent Summer ferries to get there. Look at the B-52's and B-2's hitting Republican guard units in Baghdad. Name me another Air Force capable of doing that. Look at the pinpoint Cruise Missile and Stealth Fighter attacks that may have killed or injured Saddam and his sons on the first night. What other military has such capabilities. And when we begin airlifting food and supplies and medicine by the hundreds of thousands of tons please tell me of another nation who has the Armed Forces to carry out such operations.

A number of nations have placed limited military resources in the region to help. Some patrol ships, some defensive troops, units of CBA clean-up troops, missile defense units and medical assets. These are welcome and will serve a purpose but let's not pretend that anyone but those already committed cold have made the military part of this operation any better than it has been.

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