The War on Error

by J. R. Nyquist

Weekly Column Published: 11.16.2007

Is the United States government incompetent? Is it timid and easily befuddled? This is an easy question. One doesn’t have to dig deep, or search far, to find authoritative sources willing to speak out. In Bush at War Part III, State of Denial, Bob Woodward quotes former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld as saying, “The charge of incompetence against the U.S. government should be easy to rebut if the American people understand the extent to which the current system of government makes competence next to impossible.” 

Bungling is normal in government work, and every war is parade of error. The classic writer on the subject, Carl von Clausewitz, explained that in war you have “friction.” Murphy’s Law comes into effect. “Whatever can go wrong, will go wrong.” War involves imperfect people with imperfect knowledge. The simplest tasks become difficult. As for the special problem of America’s “current system of government,” Rumsfeld’s point refers to something more exasperating than the usual “Friction.” It has become politically fashionable to tie the hands of the country’s defenders. We make rules that prevent the collection of timely intelligence. We bend over backward for enemies, for the sake of peace, and frequently accommodate domestic and foreign opposition. There are those who enjoy finding fault with the war effort, building their own political advantage from national tragedy, ready to pronounce defeat and accept national humiliation. All of this makes national perseverance next to impossible. The press has had a field day with the administration’s errors. If the press had operated in a similar fashion after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor we would have been defeated in World War II. Since bungling is normal, since mistakes are always made, the American people would have lost faith in their leaders. Morale would have collapsed. Back in the 1940s, however, we muzzled the press and preserved our morale. Today things are different. Rumsfeld thinks the American system, with its all-powerful media, is fatally flawed. When asked whether there would be a positive outcome in Iraq, Rumsfeld told Woodward: “There’s something about the body politic in the United States that they can accept the enemy killing innocent men, women and children and cutting off people’s heads, but have zero tolerance for some [U.S.] soldier who does something he shouldn’t do.” 

How can America survive if the country’s defense is short-circuited by destructive criticism at home? For Rumsfeld, the root problem is not government incompetence, which is normal, but irresponsible press criticism and a fickle public. The opponents of the administration undermine the war effort because defeat in Iraq means political victory at the polls. Thinking back to the Vietnam War, Rumsfeld remembers the left’s opposition. He sees them now, bitterly anticipating their success at undermining another war effort. To his way of thinking, they are unpatriotic. They exacerbate the administration’s difficulties in time of war. Government incompetence is normal, says Rumsfeld, and the publicity surrounding mistakes now makes victory “next to impossible.” 

Further exploring the theme of government incompetence, Robert Redford has recently made a film about the War on Terror, titled Lions for Lambs. The title is taken from the statement of a German general of the First World War who lamented the British soldiers who died assaulting German lines, likening them to lions led by lambs. The movie itself suggests that America’s leaders are shallow and cynical. They throw our soldiers’ lives away to no purpose. According to Redford’s depiction, the media is complicit and the public is apathetic. Even our campus youth are a disappointment. For Redford, our complicity in the fiasco is due to selfishness and America’s “culture of narcissism.” We simply do not care enough to make things right. 

Whatever good points are made in Lions for Lambs, Redford’s comparison of the Iraq situation to the slaughter of the First World War is a gross exaggeration. The administration hasn’t been throwing soldiers’ lives away in futile attacks against impregnable defensive positions. The U.S. military has not suffered heavy casualties as it did in Vietnam. President Bush and the Republicans have lost support because the Iraqis are difficult to govern and civil war has erupted between ethnic groups. The American military is tied down and immediate withdrawal is not an option. After toppling Saddam Hussein in a spectacular blitzkrieg, the president and his advisors underestimated the problems facing Iraqi society and overestimated the readiness of the American people to “stay the course.” America did not deploy enough soldiers to maintain order in the country. It was Stratfor’s George Friedman who wrote in his book, America’s Secret War: “The decision to invade Iraq was not a good one and very few in the administration thought it was.” More recently Friedman noted positive developments in Iraq. There are fewer casualties. Local Sunni insurgents have turned against al Qaeda militants. “It is tempting to say the United States has turned the corner on the war,” explained Friedman. “The temptation might not be misplaced.”

If the United States has turned the corner and victory is now possible, it is probably too late. The presidential election cycle is about to shift into high gear. The administration of George W. Bush is about to give way to a new administration. During the next election campaign, the public will be reminded of the many mistakes committed in the War on Terror. Anger about the war, about the overall situation, will be fueled. Combined with a falling dollar, rising energy prices and a bursting real estate bubble, the political left will gain credibility. Some presidential candidates will make socialist noises. The left will find its voice once again. 

Whatever happens in Iraq, the situation in the United States is about to take a turn. 

Copyright © 2007 Jeffrey R. Nyquist
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