Sun Tzu Evaluates George Bush

[Don1]

"Victorious warriors win first and then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to win."

Sun Tzu (ca. 400 B.C.)

[bronxiteforever]

1. excellent quote

it is amazing how Shrub's play for Iraq and its oil wound up creating the unintended consequence of an Iranian super power in the middle east-I almost fell off my chair when even Joe Klein admitted that on ms-gop the other night-victory has many fathers, defeat is an orphan-

[FloridaPat]

2. I believe their plan was a quick victory in Iraq, set up a puppet

gov't and the citizen would be so afraid of the US they would just take it. Then * would do the same thing to Iran. So much for quiet citizens. Now if the citizens of the US had half the backbone of the Iraqis and fought for our Constitution and justice, and lot of the world would not be in flames right now.

[bronxiteforever]

3. I agree that was their plan

Which shows the depth of ignorance in the GOP leadership-even old man Bush knew you couldn't occupy Iraq-

[Don1]

5. Very imaginative of them...

Yeah, I've heard the propaganda including all the flowers at our feet and stuff like that...

The point though of Sun Tzu's millenia old wisdom is that the plan for victory must be completely solid before executed. The war itself is merely to play out the plan.

However, the plan of the Bush regime was flawed in so many ways. It contradicted intel about Iraqis. For example, Bush 1 already did an analysis of what would happen in an occupation, which is why he chose not to go in for long-term occupation.

I must conclude ultimately that either the Bush regime is moronic (which seems probable) or very devious and up to something else (like an independent allied, Kurdistan post-civil war, for example).

[Loge23]

4. on asses and lions...

To win a battle, it is better to have an army of asses led by a lion than it is to have an army of lions led by an ass.
(addapted from a Sun Tzu quote)

[Don1]

6. That one is good, too! n/t

[Sooner75]

7. Sun Tzu wasn't an advocate of "Yee-Haw"

Sun Tzu famously said, "To win without fighting is best." That implies that it's always smarter to get what you want through diplomatic means and NOT to rush hastily into a war.

Bush wouldn't know the difference between Sun Tzu and mu shu pork. In the long view of history, he'll be remembered as a mere pothole on the road of human progress.