No offense to Sisyphus and his list, but I have to think that one of the Top 11 highlights of the Iraq Study Group is that all these geezers were all able to meet for nine months without anybody breaking a hip, getting lost on the way home, or passing away. The average age of the members was SEVENTY-FOUR. No offense intended to our senior citizens out there, but when I want some advice about how to best prosecute and win a war, my first inclination isn't "Let's ask grandpa." (Although it should be noted that Grandpa Simpson did provide Bart with the formula for victory over Nelson.)
Vim and vigor are probably not the first words that come to mind when you think of the ISG. Heeding strategic advice from the consensus report of a committee is foolish enough. When that advice is being offered by people with more experience driving ten miles under the speed limit with their turn signal on in Florida than investigating what's taking place on the ground in Iraq, it's a complete farce.
UPDATE-- James e-mails with a clarification:
At the risk of being mocked for being wrong, wasn't it actually "Herman" the one-armed military antique/surplus/weapons store guy who Grampa Simpson introduced Bart to who developed the "stratedgery" that defeated Nelson?
True that. It was Herman who devised the classic "pincers movement" and saturation bombing (with water balloons) that forced Nelson to sue for peace. But if it wasn't for Grandpa Simpson, Bart would have never had access to said advice. And the old coot did seem to relish his role:
I thought I was too old. I thought my time had passed. I thought I'd never
hear the screams of pain, or see the look of terror in a man's eyes. Thank
heaven for children!
--Grampa Simpson, "Bart the General"
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