Thalatta, thalatta

Abandoned by a cynical and disinterested political elite, surrounded by hostile peoples and strange gods, a Western army battles across the badlands of Asia Minor. It might sound familiar, but not for the reasons you are thinking of. It's the story of Anabasis, related by Xenophon in the fifth century BCE.

In a republican form of government, the executive might be the lead singer but it is the legislative branch that owns the instruments. It is conceivable that the executive branch might engage in a waiting game, allowing logistic chains to disintegrate, so that the failure of military units may be seen as the fault of the legislative branch.

This would be an audacious gamble. If the executive misjudges the resolve of the legislative opposition, if it underestimates force reserves, if it misses a critical strategic asset in the ever-multiplying ranks of the enemy, ground units may find themselves trapped in their fortifications, with ever-dwindling air cover and a suddenly finite supply of fuel and ammunition. Air resupply is a tremendous fuel drain, and the ground logistics routes from Kuwait depend entirely on close air support so as not to be destroyed by a hostile populace.

It is not reassuring that audacity has been a hallmark of the executive during the past six years.

If the worst does come to pass, and the heroes of the United States ground forces are compelled to fight their way across the badlands of Asia Minor, we can only hope that they commend themselves to legend, and that the men and women who serve us so selflessly might at last come to sanctuary, as the Ten Thousand Greeks, finally sighting the sea.

The alternative, of course, is genocide. Victory through the extermination of an entire populace is one of the few proven counter-insurgency tactics.