War v/s Battle.. America Confused. Something to think about on the 4th July.

Most folks in our country are somewhat confused about the critical distinction between War & Battle. Since we are going into the 4th of July 2009, with our military engaged in numerous wars/battles, this would be a good time to explore this issue. Battle. In order to win a battle you need the best weapons, the best soldiers and the best command & control. We have all of this in abundance in our Nation, and therefore our military has won every battle it has fought. War. In order to win a war, you simply need time and numbers. Numbers of dead. We lack these, and therefore we have won very few wars, if any, in our lifetime. Take a moment to look at European history in the 20th century. (That was the time they were playing world cops.) The Imperial German Army came to within a hair’s breadth of winning WW I in 1917, but our entry into the war gave the Allies time and numbers, and by 1918 the German Army had lost. Fast forward a few decades. The German Wehrmacht was the most technologically advanced military in it’s time. Yet it was beaten by the Red Army (Russian) which was qualitatively the poorest, army in Europe. Before we commit our young men and women into battle, we must evaluate the chances of success. George Santayana said “Those who don’t learn from history are condemned to repeat it” We have already lost quite a few wars; let it not be said, that the only war our American generation ever won was the war against common sense. That; combined with our $67 Trillion debt; would be a very poor epitaph indeed.