Well done for knowing the facts but not so hot on application of them.
Did I have a pop at Macnamara the businessman (or human being)??
No indeed.
i had a pop at the concept of warfare/military ops being run by a speadsheet mentality (Macnamara himself was among the first to coin the term "metrics" in relation to enemy casualities). Whilst he (aided by the likes of Westmoreland who was of a similar persuasion) was busy managing the war, the North Vietnamese were busy fighting it. The fact the he foresaw the problem (but not the outcome) makes the point all the more relevant. As for the hindsight (errr check the title of his book) well, we all have the gift of that don't we?
However, let's not die in a ditch over it...my point was simply this:
In military terms, if I wanted advice on how much I had to spend I would ask an accountant. If I wanted adviice on how to spend it I would ask a General.
Last edited by The Old Fat One; 27th Nov 2010 at 01:35.