US should stay out of land wars: Defense Secretary Robert Gates

[Takeda Shingen]

Originally Posted by Bubblehead1980

It's about having weak leaders on the civillian side.Fighting wars "half assed" does not work.Iraq was bumbled because they went in light for a "shock and awe" Afghanistan has been mismanaged as well.Going in light rarely, if ever, works.

I would answer with 2 questions:

1. What leader in the past 40 years would you consider 'strong'?

2. Having answered that, when in the last 40 years has America's foreign policy in the Middle East been successful in promoting our ends of our national security?

The answer to question one can and will be skewed towards political preference, but the answer to question two is an unequivocal 'never'. 'Nation building' is a fool's errand, strongman or not.