A lesson from Mark Twain Mike Leibowitz, 30 Jul 2006 Mark Twain once said, "We should learn from an experience all that is in it and no more! We should not be like the cat that sat on a hot stove lid. It will never again sit on a hot stove lid, and that is well, but it will never sit on a cold one either." Now Israel seems so traumatized by its earlier experiences in Lebanon, and so defensive about all the criticism it has gotten over the West Bank occupation, that it is shouting from the rooftops that it has no intention of invading Lebanon. An Israeli figure cannot be seen on TV who does not remonstrate this! This is viewed by the world as stupidity in broadcasting one's battle plans, and a frightened attempt to curry Syrian favor and public relations favor. It is seen as weakness. A good businessman may hate losses, but he knows when he must risk them. A good nation may hate losing soldiers, but it knows when it must sacrifice. Your wish to minimize casualties is making you fight a limited ground war that cannot end well, instead of a larger conflict that you might at least win. Khazaik, Mike Leibowitz |
|