Appearing on “Special Report” Monday night, syndicated columnist George Will took aim at the White House focus on drone and air attacks, telling host Bret Baier that the “quickest way to lose a war” is to say it can be won “from the air.”
Will was echoing comments from Sen. Dianne Feinstein on Sunday, in which she said that more special operations troops are needed, not just those simply in advisory roles.
WILL: We’ve heard two very interesting words used so far in the clips you have shown. One is manifestation. We are fighting al-Qaida’s manifestations here, there and everywhere. I gather that doesn’t mean just al-Qaida but something described as an extension or emulation of it. It is hard to say but it really does mean that this is metastasizing rather rapidly.
Second: Dianne Feinstein said we should be more pronounced, which is a delicate way of saying more forceful, and more, as she clearly indicated more involved on the ground. George Orwell said the quickest way to end a war is to lose it. I would add that the quickest way to lose a war is to say you can win it from the air. I was interested that Ben Rhodes was shown earlier in our program tonight saying that, well, we’re quite active with drones and other air power. The problem is at the same time we are supposedly talking with the Iraqis and others about how to retake Mosul. Well Mosul will be retaken, and wars are won by men on the ground holding rifles.