General Myers' Dole Lecture

It's nice to know I could have been the Chairman.

At least, that's the take-away I got from General Myer's Dole Lecture, delivered last night in Lawrence, Kansas.

Aside from the chutzpah and breath-taking arrogance of that comment, what do I mean?

General Myers and I share several views on the GWOT and the world in general.

He believes our rhetorical stance right after 9/11 cost us more than it gained us.

He believes we need to finish what we started in Iraq - but he also believes we have to tell the Iraqi government to put up or shut up - and that he believes they are, mostly, with some *huge* exceptions, and the pressure on them must be maintained to get and keep their house in order. While he didn't say "or else" he certainly left it dangling unsaid.

He laments the partisan, savage tones in our politics - from both sides, especially as it relates to foreign policy. He wishes there were more statesmen, vice men from states (my words, not his, btw).

And we need more patience. As a society.

He then laid out what he felt (bear in mind, he's a military guy, that's the lens from which he and I, for that matter view the world) was the greatest threat facing us today.

1. The greatest threat to us and our way of life (and this is the West in general) stems from violent extremists, generally of the Al-Qaeda style, and the threat *is* existential, especially in *their* minds - which means we need to take it seriously. And it's going to be a decades-long affair, just like dealing with the Soviet Union was.

2. The solution is not military, and never was. Military is a component, sometimes larger than others, most times in support of, conjunction with, and ancillary to.

3. The strategy has to be long term, committed, comprehensive, and multi-lateral. We cannot do it alone, though we will inevitably be the engine of it. We need a "Truman Doctrine" equivalent, that deals with the threat via information, economic development, diplomacy humanitarian aid as needed, and military support (as in helping nations build their security infrastructure, vice going in to dismantle it energetically). And when a mole pops up, whack it.

The General likened our current approach (of which he was a builder) to the Whack-a-Mole game, which we play pretty well. But to win, we need to open the box and fiddle with the algorithms that pop up the moles. With the intent of reducing to a very low frequency the pop-ups, and to provide a warning buzzer when one is about to pop-up. He thinks our score will improve greatly, with less wear and tear on the machine - and the hammer.

I did take the chance after the event to ask a question of the general, which, in fact, was asked for me by a KU student - that regarded the "boots on the ground" question. The general would have preferred to have it asked by me, I think. It wouldn't have had ill-informed politico-military gibberish larded into it.

Bottom line, on the issue of were there enough troops - General Myers answer was simple. The Generals in charge got the troops they asked for, and in General Myer's view, the problem was in execution. He was literally almost running out the door at that point, so I couldn't get an elaboration.

Regardless, the General will always remember me.

Why? Because I was the victim of an ambush! I'm a graduate of the University of Missouri, mortal enemies of the JayChickenhawks of Kansas University. They set me up. They gave me a pre-weakened chair, which collapsed in the middle of the General's speech, causing my not-inconsiderable frame to thwap! loudly on the tiles, much to my everlasting mortification.

At least that's my story. It's got nothing to do with the size of the shadow I cast.

Sigh. Y'know, ya want to be noticed, but that just wasn't the way...

I *did* discover that I do a passable Orson Welles/Raymond Burr impersonation on a TV screen.

Scary, I know.

When the Dole Institute gets the video posted, I'll put up the link. As has been the case for all the Dole Institute events I've attended, this one was well done, and well worth the effort to attend. If you live in the region, you should take advantage of the opportunity.

And the video of General Myers' giving the Dole Lecture is up!