Sen. McCain's hero, Teddy Roosevelt, inveighed against the depradations of US citizens by Pancho Villa's adherants beginning in 1914. When Pancho Villa's men invaded the United States and killed our citizens in Columbus, New Mexico it was obvious that the Mexican government did not have the capacity to bring him to justice. We knew who was responsible and, in general, where he was. General "Black Jack" Pershing led US troops in pursuit across the border. But Villa was neither captured or killed by the US troops in a year-long expedition.
What were the obstacles? First, the terrain of the Sierra Madres high peaks and deep canyons. Second, the disinformation provided the Americanos by the local population and their support for the Villistas who mingled freely without detection. And third, the hesitation of the Wilson government to upset the Carranza government. Pershing ended up fighting the Carranza troops almost as often as engaging the Vilistas which brought us to the brink of another war with Mexico. Sound familiar?
Sen. McCain's discussion of the pursuit of bin Laden has the feel of a half cocked pistol. Westerners know how dangerous that can be. In the midst of the rhetoric, though, we heard something important.
Tonight I heard both Sen. McCain and Sen. Obama touch on what must be the essential strategy. We must give the people of Afganistan and Pakistan the incentive to turn away from al-Qaeda. We must give them markets for their products, clean water, secure electrical power, educational opportunities, respect for their cultures and we must empower them to provide for their own physical security. The tribal commonalities between Afganistan and western Pakistan are a reality and only when we convince them that the Taliban are a foreign influence will we be able to make progress.
Let's continue with what should have been the rest of "Charlie Wilson's War." and get it right for once.
BTW the solution to the Mexican immigration problem is economic development in the northern states of Mexico and the willingness of Americans to do the ordinary jobs and American employers to pay Americans fair wages for doing them.
John R. Adams
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