tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8755035051021414780.post8125247519501143227..comments2023-11-17T03:55:40.736-05:00Comments on Ink Spots: Did the SECDEF do a 180 on COIN?Lilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18373158801523577733noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8755035051021414780.post-67629077632560150132011-03-07T15:29:17.183-05:002011-03-07T15:29:17.183-05:00Most of what the guy said was inside baseball abou...Most of what the guy said was inside baseball about the US Army Officer Personnel Management System. Gates keeps holding out for those well-rounded, technical and tactically competent, culturally sensitive Maxwell Taylor type officers...you know, good Spec Ops material. Or so they say. Any resemblance to the Army's future is strictly coin-cidental. (I couldn't help inserting the shameless pun there.)Vitesse et Puissancenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8755035051021414780.post-46945214668057548492011-03-01T08:32:25.550-05:002011-03-01T08:32:25.550-05:00Madhu -- You make an extremely fair point here, an...Madhu -- You make an extremely fair point here, and highlight something I meant to mention but failed to: while it's impossible to know how a speech with be excerpted or qutoed in media accounts, I think Secretary Gates' speechwriter did a poor job of structuring his remarks. All the caveating and hedging makes it difficult to get at the real thrust of what the SECDEF is trying to say, so he didn't do himself any favors.Gulliverhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12558335790019565924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8755035051021414780.post-69314449623860134122011-03-01T08:21:19.934-05:002011-03-01T08:21:19.934-05:00Given the almost Talmudic-like study of particular...Given the almost Talmudic-like study of particular details of this speech here, there, and everywhere, I'm starting to think it wasn't the clearest talk on record....Madhunoreply@blogger.com