Hush! All of you!
Red and Longbaugh, you're both wrong.
Red, there's a faction among the American Left who take great satisfaction in American defeats. Jane Fonda is one of them. You could argue that she was young and stupid when she went to North Vietnam in 1967, but her views haven't changed since. Ramsey Clark doesen't have that excuse. That old bastard was in NV with Jane, turned up again in Baghdad during the Gulf War, and has lately come out of the woodwork again protesting the war on terrorism. He's very much an insider in the Democrat Party, nor is he unique. Fortunately, they're keeping a pretty low profile at present.
Longbaugh, Somalia was one of those feel-good operations beloved by the Left. There was no strategic significance, just the desire to demonstrate compassion. First the Marines and then Light Infantry were deployed, because they could be put on the ground quickly. They were denied tanks, armored fighting vehicles, heavy artillery and attack helicopters because it would have taken longer and cost more to get those things there. Besides, we were just feeding hungry children, we wouldn't want to look too intimidating.
Then mission creep took over. The warlords were stealing the food, so the warlords had to go. Never mind that that's how a feudal society is supposed to work. Never mind that the forces available weren't adequate to conquer and occupy the country. After all, reasoned the Clintonites, that's what soldiers are for, and it's not like any of THEIR kids would be put at risk.
The operation was a classic cluster fuck. That's a term of art for a poorly conceived military operation undertaken for political purposes, with no clearly defined objective (or multiple, conflicting objectives), that comes to grief. The results surprise no one except the politicians who dreamed it up.
What the book demonstrates (I haven't seen the movie yet) is the courage and resourcefulness of the American soldier against overwhelming odds. Sometimes that's easier to demonstrate with a defeat than a victory. No one would remember the Alamo if the Texans had won.
There's a faction in the defense establishment that argues that heavy forces are obsolete. They use Afghanistan as an example. Somalia provides a counter-example, if they have the wit to see it.
Incidentally, the warlord involved in the battle died of natural causes a few years later. He was succeeded by his son. The son is a former US Marine who was part of the original landing force.
Strelnikov
