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DeM Banter... and I think that is all that has to be said about that... Washington Post September 13, 2013 Pg. 13 It is the phrase of the moment, dropping from the lips of television reporters and radio commentators, salting the columns of pundits, earnestly being spoken by furrow-browed politicians of serious mien. The families …
Continue reading "WE HAVE NOT EARNED WAR-WEARINESS By Eliot A. Cohen"
DeM Banter: The strategy is key, the plan, the "what's next," and the "what then" must be discussed, debated, and resolved. I have always been interested in leaders that have one plan and when it fails they are upset or disheartened... you need 20 plans, prioritize and hope the best plans stick. How ever it …
DeM Banter: Sometimes it is better to just watch... Putin and Carter...are they agreeing? Washington Post September 12, 2013 Pg. 21 The only way to be assured that Syrian chemical weapons will not be used in the future is not through a military strike but through a successful international effort. Regardless of the postponed congressional …
Continue reading "MILITARY STRIKES WON’T WORK By Jimmy Carter"
DeM Banter: All I can say is... we are INDEED living in interesting times. New York Times September 12, 2013 Pg. 31 MOSCOW — Recent events surrounding Syria have prompted me to speak directly to the American people and their political leaders. It is important to do so at a time of insufficient communication between …
Continue reading "A PLEA FOR CAUTION FROM RUSSIA By Vladimir V. Putin"
Of ever increasing popularity in leadership circles is the non-decision decision. You know what I am talking about. You have seen it when a leader is confronted with a tough decision and he/she abdicates the decision by not making a choice. My good friend Geddy Lee is very fond of saying: "If you choose …
Continue reading "The Chain Reaction of the Non-Decision Decision…DeMarco Banter"
DeM Banter: It's all about strategy... or a lack there of. If we have not spent the time pondering a strong national security strategy...then everything looks like a crisis. How do we know what is important...what is not...when to engage...when not to? It is time to develop a clear, simple, concise global strategy...no? When reading …
Continue reading "ADMINISTRATION STATEMENTS ON SYRIA MUDDLED By Zachary A. Goldfarb"
DeM Banter: Pondering the Syrian conflict over the weekend--and I am wondering if perhaps this is a "normalizing" event in US politics. Could this event break down some of the barriers in Congress? Wishful thinking? Los Angeles Times September 9, 2013 Pg. 8 On both sides of the issue, alliances are forming that cross …
Continue reading "SYRIA DEBATE SCRAMBLES U.S. POLITICS By Mark Z. Barabak"
DeM Banter: Amazed we are not hearing more about Libya, Iraq, Afghanistan, and other places we have been involved where success has been less than expected. The British are reporting on it...Disagree there is much to Friedman's "Arm and Shame" concept but do agree the global community is very milted on options in Syria--and this …
Continue reading "SAME WAR, DIFFERENT COUNTRY By Thomas L. Friedman"
DeM Banter: The gift of the strategist is to see 3 to 4 steps further down the road than the average planner....where do we see this going? Six months...one year...three years... what will Syria and the region look like? Are we shaping it to conform to what we want it to look like? As we …
Continue reading "A WAR THE PENTAGON DOESN’T WANT By Robert H. Scales"
DeM Banter: I'm just not sure it all adds up to success. Washington Post September 4, 2013 Pg. 18 President Obama's Middle East policy remains vague and contradictory. In arguing Tuesday for military action against Syria, President Obama asserted that strikes in response to the use of chemical weapons would fit into "a broader strategy" …
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