Holden: the real message of ‘Fort Bragg Cartel’ is how well the veneer of press release propaganda wrote the story at the time. I followed the press and swallowed McChrystal’s pronouncements whole. Harp is giving us the abattoir view of that era. His explications of the Bush delusions and Obama make-do ‘surges’ are revelatory. Why didn’t Obama do what Biden finally did and just leave? Trump makes it hard to call yourself an American today. Harp makes it hard to pretend that the government systems of 1990-2016 were worth preserving in 2024. Let us hope that the current destruction of American foreign policy can give way, under a new Democratic administration, to something more egalitarian, less ‘lethal’, (per M. Hegspeth), and less colonial.
No disagreement, but it hits differently if you grew up in Fayetteville. It's more about the damage to the guys and their families - and the indifference from the brass.
This is a great, thanks so much for sharing. As an avid reader and someone who, like you and millions of others, wants to understand things better, I'll be adding most if not all of these (other than the one I've already read, Careless People, which was excellent) to my 2026 to-read list.
I think your understanding of China is rather superficial.
Holden: the real message of ‘Fort Bragg Cartel’ is how well the veneer of press release propaganda wrote the story at the time. I followed the press and swallowed McChrystal’s pronouncements whole. Harp is giving us the abattoir view of that era. His explications of the Bush delusions and Obama make-do ‘surges’ are revelatory. Why didn’t Obama do what Biden finally did and just leave? Trump makes it hard to call yourself an American today. Harp makes it hard to pretend that the government systems of 1990-2016 were worth preserving in 2024. Let us hope that the current destruction of American foreign policy can give way, under a new Democratic administration, to something more egalitarian, less ‘lethal’, (per M. Hegspeth), and less colonial.
No disagreement, but it hits differently if you grew up in Fayetteville. It's more about the damage to the guys and their families - and the indifference from the brass.
Just so. Damage at many levels.
This is a great, thanks so much for sharing. As an avid reader and someone who, like you and millions of others, wants to understand things better, I'll be adding most if not all of these (other than the one I've already read, Careless People, which was excellent) to my 2026 to-read list.
Great suggestions. thank you
John Shelby Spong...
Forever.