...After calling up an air strike on a village "terrorist" target, the platoon moves into the hamlet in which it finds horribly wounded children and civilian corpses.
All this was given added piquancy when General Stanley McChrystal fell on his own sword in front of Barack Obama this week. I don't like generals, but I had a smidgen of sympathy for this arrogant man. McChrystal's contempt for the inept Richard Holbrooke – the "Afpak" envoy (what a yuk title) who hourly awaits his own dismissal – at least bears the merit of truth.
What was more instructive, however, was Obama's behaviour. Every month, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu heaps humiliation and insult upon the impotent and frightened Obama, who responds by clucking his tongue and then swearing further lifelong fidelity to Israel. But the moment his top man in Afghanistan tells a few home truths about his boss, Obama throws a hissy fit and fires him. McChrystal would obviously have done much better in the Israeli army.
"Remarkable" in quotes is about the best of what can be said of Holbrooke.
Tributes paid to 'remarkable' diplomat Richard Holbrooke
Tributes were paid today to a "remarkable" US diplomat who helped bring peace to Bosnia.
Former prime minister Tony Blair joined American politicians in honouring Richard Holbrooke, who died in hospital at the age of 69 following emergency surgery for a torn aorta.
The veteran diplomat was the architect of the 1995 Bosnia peace plan, brokering the Dayton Peace Accords.
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Also See the article:
'Giant' Holbrooke Failed on Afghan War
Apologies to those who think it is boorish to speak in anything but the most glowing terms of dead “giants.” In this case, however, the stakes are so high that it will dishonor all those at risk, if we yield to convenient convention.
There will be many more dead and wounded in Afghanistan and Pakistan by the time you read this. Sadly, Holbrooke is one of the Establishment “giants” responsible.
The esteemed Holbrooke, who died from a ruptured aorta at the age of 69, has already garnered much praise and attention. Do those to be killed and wounded today in “Af-Pak” -- many much closer to the beginning of their lives -- also merit some mention?
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Sad as his death was, Holbrooke continued a remarkable string of international failures that blamed the US and Israel for all the trouble in the world. He and his colleague, Warren Christopher, did chronic and immense damage to our progress in fighting Communism and Terror around the world.
The best early obituary I saw on Holbrooke was in the Telegraph from England. It gave a good bio sketch and overview of his positions, acomplishments and failures.
I met and spoke to Holbrooke about six years ago. He was certain America was the cause for much of terrorism that was directed at us. He said Reagan was wrong, even after ending the Cold War and was firmly a believer and participant in the bureaucracy of the UN.
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