Gaza, Katrina, Iraq, Syria, NKorea, Wounded Knee, Dunkirk, Waterloo,

[opihimoimoi]

Battle of the Bulge, Falkland Island War......etc

When Losers are in Charge....see what Happens....History is a wonderful Teacher...

Far too many Leaders forget to read pertinent History...coulda saved some hurt....

Someday, we People must install some kind of filter system to weed out the inept and focus on the competent....we pay a dear price for ignoring this....

"Peters" in Leadershop Roles is not advisable.....

[NightWatcher]

1. it's all Custer at Little Big Horn revisited

ego's overtake research. Plus it helps when you have the ability to write the history books

[Pavulon]

2. How does dunkirk apply here?

just curious?

[muriel_volestrangler]

3. Or Waterloo, for that matter?

The victor famously called it a 'close run thing'.

[opihimoimoi]

5. The History Channel depicts one of Napoleons Generals fucking up

during the battle....that was the horseshoe leading to the defeat...weakest link syndrome...

[muriel_volestrangler]

6. Napoleon was in overall charge, and no-one ever thought him incompetent

There are various "perhaps if ..." scenarios you can use for the battle, but it's not really an "this one general screwed it all up" battle. A French view at the time:

In my opinion, four principal causes led to this disaster: The first, and most influential, was the arrival, skilfully combined, of Blücher, and the false movement that favored this arrival; the second, was the admirable firmness of the British infantry, joined to the sang-froid and aplomb of its chiefs; the third, was the horrible weather, that had softened the ground, and rendered the offensive movements so toilsome, and retarded till one o'clock the attack that should have been made in the morning; the fourth, was the inconceivable formation of the first corps, in masses very much too deep for the first grand attack.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Waterloo

[opihimoimoi]

8. Nevertheless, Napolean gets the Blame for the defeat....he was not incompetent

I remember one of his Generals attacking at a bad time....result...loss/defeat

The Point is....Leaders fall into 2 general categories...either competent or not....

We Humans have a propensity of picking the wrong ones...and like ole Murphy sez....Just when ya not supposed to do it...ya go and get the worst of the Bunch to lead the Troops...

such is Bush and his Inept Crew...

[opihimoimoi]

4. Military mistakes happen on both sides....Battles are won and lost

all the time...

The diff is the level of mistakes and the tactics/strats employed...

[Thothmes]

7. From my reading in military history, it seem like that side

that makes the least number of mistakes usually wins. You are correct, mistakes happen on both sides.