If we compare the military might of the U.S. to a sledgehammer,

[Veggie Meathead]

we can think of the guerilla warfare being conducted by the Iraqi insurgents to the gentle lapping of water over stone.While one can see the effect of the sledgehammer instantly, the water, over time, does as much damage if not more. Our ability to kill people with advanced weaponry will be overcome by the willingness of people to die in their cause.The difference is we don't have a cause we can believe in;they do. Their victory is guaranteed.History tells us so.

[Mikimouse]

1. Maybe a sledgehammer, but one with...

a badly splintered handle.:evilfrown:

[pippin]

2. What does it say

when the mightiest army in the world, armed with the most expensive and latest weapons and technology can't take the Iraqi cities or outdo bands of ordinary people?

My guess is the ultra-neo cons would recommend nuking the whole country--do a Hiroshima/Nagasaki on Iraq--but I doubt neither country nor the rest of the world would stand for it. We learned nothing from Vietnam--the U.S. may have slaughtered thousands of Vietcong and agent oranged the place, but the might of the U.S. military in the end were no match for the "little men in black pyjamas."

I bet if a foreign power invades us, our "insurgents" would do no less than the so called Iraqi insurgents to undermine the enemy any way we could. Obvious fact about human nature, but this seems lost totally on the stupids who have taken over our government.

[HannibalBarca]

3. 3 million

In reality about 3 million vietnamese were killed during the war.

[newyawker99]

5. Hi HannibalBarca!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[G_j]

9. correct

and there is no way the majority of those 3 million were 'Viet Cong'.
Nope, we are talking about ordinary Vietnamese people.

[HawkerHurricane]

6. Metaphor is always suspect...

Picture the U.S. Military as the sledgehammer. Picture the Iraqi military as an egg. Now picture the insurgents as wasps.

Smashing the Iraqi army is easy. Try dealing with wasps with a sledgehammer.

Right tool for the job, people.

[renegade000]

7. this is the problem

we do have the might and means to finish off the insurgency...but that would involve some form of mass extermination of the entire region.

you would have to kill every possible person that could ever take up arms against you.

iraq has become just another war of attrition that will not stop unless something drastically brutal or drastically peaceful occurs.

[jpgray]

4. You need something tangible to hit with a sledgehammer

You can smack water around all you want, but while you may momentarily displace it, it will surge right back around you.

[catmandu57]

8. There can't be a victory

this is a war of attrition now, sooner or later it's going to bite us in the ass, just like Vietnam. The trouble is we've pissed off more than a country, we've started a reliious crusade, and long past the time when we've decided that we've had enough, they'll be coming for us.
Payback is gonna be a mother, thanks a lot george*.