1441 Goal setters and problem solvers

The U.S. is failing in Iraq says Andrew Krepinevich, Jr. in his Foreign Affairs article because it has goals (a democratic Iraq after exiting), but no strategy to defeat the insurgency. Democrats and the anti-Bushies also have a goal for Iraq--get out quick, no matter how many deaths of innocent Iraqis it causes. Republicans say, when we turn it over to the Iraqis, it will be their problem, then we'll leave. We have a huge home-grown example of how well that works.

Yes, look at New Orleans all you goal setters and problem solvers. It has a Democratic city administration and state governor's office who told the people to "get out immediately," but had no strategy. Now the city has been taken over by home-grown insurgents (terrorists would be a good term here, just as in Iraq). The mayor seems to be sincere, articulate and well spoken, but totally unprepared. The state government appears to be about evenly split with a Democratic governor, and again, Ms. Blanco looks like she is trying. I don't want to criticize them personally. But Louisiana politics, like Iraq, has a long history of corruption and ineptness, with a crime rate 10 times the national average. So I think it is probably a wash as far as which party would have been prepared. But there have been enough studies and reports federal and local (by problem solvers) to paper the city two or three inches deep. This is not a money problem, it is a no strategy problem created by goal setters.

New Orleans has been living with hurricanes from the time it was established. Ask yourself, how were thousands of poor people supposed to get out? They use public transportation. What was the long term strategy? The city had a mass transit system and that certainly couldn't have handled it. There are buses for every church and school. At best, using every bus in the city you'd evacuate a few thousand, but you'd need an armed guard on every bus because the huge criminal element living there. Where would you get them?

What is needed is a thousand groups like the Central Ohio Southern Baptist Chain Saw Team ready to roll at a moment's notice. Every city needs a strategy to handle evacuees with pets; a strategy for nursing homes; a strategy for short term holding areas; a strategy for mobilizing citizens with guns to protect their neighbors (yeah, that'll happen); a strategy to call up every retired nurse to help with medical crises; a strategy to have potable water and non-perishable food stored. I can't think of any use for retired librarians, but I'm a problem solver so I'll think on that one.

But all you "get out of Iraq now" people and you "when the Iraqis can take over" people just go turn on the TV and think about how well getting out of one city of under one million in one democratic country went with no strategy.