The Washington Times' Sharon Behn recently asked Command Sgt. Maj. Jeff Mellinger why the world's most powerful army hadn't yet accomplished this mission [i.e. to destroy Al Qaeda in Iraq]. He replied: "We could absolutely crush every one of them, but would you be happy with what is left?"
He's referring to the catastrophic destruction that is, and has always been,the price of total victory. It's something that never makes anyone "happy," but previous generations have found it necessary. Not ours. Postmodern man prefers a kind of limited warfare, fighting with one hand tied behind his back as a matter of choice -- a moral choice that lends even a superpower the humanizing aura of victim-hood. -- Diana West, townhall.com, 7/13/07
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