The Wisdom of Four-wheeling applied to Kinetic Military Action.

In Montana you'll see a wide array of four-wheel drive vehicles. In supposed high-society areas such as Missoula you'll see these vehicles in the form of the light, fuel efficient, venerable Subaru. In most other areas the 4X4 comes in all shapes, sizes, makes and models. You can make the easy distinction between those who own their 4X4 for practical reasons and those who own them just for show and impractical reasons. If it is a stock 3/4 ton pick-up with remnants of alfalfa blowing around in the back or with a utility box loaded with tools, it is the most practical of all; the work truck. If it is a truck that you see running around town with mud covering every square inch of its slightly roughed up body, you're probably seeing a work truck that is also used for some off-roading leisure and still fills a practical niche. However, if it is pristine with over-sized tires and chrome wheels, it probably ranks in the least practical "look-at-me" category. This isn't to say that the "look-at-me" 4X4s never see dirt and mud, but they might only see these when it isn't necessarily practical to.

The practical 4X4 driver tends to know when to use all four wheels or when to "lock it in". For the most part a four-wheel drive vehicle is operate using only the rear wheels. It is only when the terrain gets too muddy or snowy to progress any further that the practical driver throws it in 4-high and, usually to avoid getting stuck, will turn back. You see, the idea of four-wheel drive is to get you out of a situation where you'll get stuck, by bringing one or two more drive-wheels into play, depending on if you have a positive traction or limited slip drive axle. All of the jargon aside, the idea is if you get stuck in two-wheel drive, you've got a backup. If you get stuck in four-wheel drive, you're done. Some hardcore off-roaders will have a third redundancy in the form of a winch. In the case of the winch, I find it more useful mounted on the back of the vehicle, because continuing forward is more likely going to get you into more trouble. The idea, here, is to get the vehicle back into the terrain you were just in and that the vehicle can handle. Summation? If you're bogged down, you don't want to go further into the bog using all of your resources.

However, this is exactly what the term "Kinetic Military Action" implies. Moving our military around from troubled area to troubled area, using all of our resources to go deeper into these areas. It is only a matter of time before we're going to get stuck and then we're done.

Before and during the 2008 Presidential election, we heard the term "Exit Strategy" thrown around a lot. That strategy is very similar to the metaphor of four-wheeling; to have a backup to get us out when it gets too much to go any further. Yet, we're just finding new areas to go into and without the advice or approval of anyone in our legislature.

In a speech, given by Obama about how the Republicans wrecked this country he says this:

"They drove our economy into a ditch and we got in there and put on our boots and we pushed and we shoved. We were sweatin' and these guys were standing, watching us and sipping on a Slurpee. And they were pointing at us saying how come you're not pushing harder? or how come you're not pushing faster? And when we finally got the car up, and it's got a few dings and few dents, they got some mud on it,,,we're going to have to do some work on it. They point to these guys and say; Look what these guys did to your car! After we got it out of the ditch! Then they've got the nerve to ask for the keys back. I don't want to give them the keys back! They don't know how to drive!" ~Milwaukee Wisconsin speech 2008~

Classic Obama, claiming the Republicans can't drive the economy, but takes the military out for a spin and could very well get it bogged down in another conflict. I'd like to place an ad, now, for a new well-rounded practical driver.