Gen. Odom Speaks, you listen

Really. Literally. It's an NPR interview, m'kay? Here's some nuggets I've transcribed for a taster:

(General Odom on sectarian violence) I don't see that you can do anything about it without taking sides. If you take sides, you make it worse. This is one of those situations where you've lost money in the market, it's sunk cost. You can't get it back by putting more money in. [snip]

Now, I've been saying this for two, three years. And every time I'm told, oh, we can't let the sectarian violence go on. Well, we've been there, and the sectarian violence has grown. What evidence is there that our being there reduces it? There's a lot of evidence that our being there incites it and makes it greater.

(Odom on "Precipitous Withdrawal") It's not the stomach to stand a long commitment, it's the wisdom to not to continue to allow your enemies to bleed you. By going in we have so enhanced Iranian power in the region it's hard to exaggerate.

Listen to the whole curmudgeonly thing.