Dan Frisa
Monday, March 24, 2003

The Fog of War

It is a commonly understood phenomenon of military conflict that with the commencement of hostilities, confusion and disorientation invariably occur. Historically, this “fog of war” was compounded by breaks in communication both among various tactical units as well as with the command hierarchy managing overall battle strategy. Those forces better able to cope and manage through the fog invariably prevail, given even odds otherwise.

Given the impressive 21st century technologies employed by U.S. armed forces, there is an enhanced capability to nearly eliminate physical aspects of the fog by virtue of innovations such as night-vision, GPS, laser, AWACS, airborne recon and digital wireless communication, as well as a wide variety of computer-enhanced equipment, among others.

Operation Iraqi Freedom has thus far demonstrated the overwhelming superiority of U.S. assets in this regard. What is also evident is the uncanny ability of both the Department of Defense (DOD) and Central Command (CENTCOM) to control and manipulate the war of information.

With universal worldwide telecommunications, cable and satellite television, and the Internet providing real-time, instantaneous news dissemination, maintaining a decisive advantage in carefully managing the flow of information and images is a new lethal weapon in the U.S. arsenal.

Ironically, the decision to allow close-up reporting by journalists embedded with allied forces has played a major role thus far in portraying coalition efforts in a positive and commanding light.

This is a stunning and cunning innovation and represents an ingenious asymmetrical tactic, by turning the very media that have treated the military with contempt and suspicion for more than 30 years into a major asset in the U.S. information arsenal.

By controlling the minute-to-minute reporting of events in this manner, the U.S. is able to greatly increase the psychological fog enveloping the enemy, in addition to the stunning physical fog of battle being so forcefully imposed.

The Frog of War

An amazing side story continues to play itself out courtesy of French President “Jacques Iraq” as he persists in showing himself in an increasingly bad light, shooting himself in the foot with his every utterance.

Beginning 30 years ago, Chirac single-handedly wooed Saddam Hussein with lavish trips to Paris to secure the Iraqi contract to construct a nuclear reactor at Osarik, which Israeli IDF pilots destroyed in 1981.

Their relationship has been close personally and politically.

Chirac’s dissembling and shilling on behalf of Hussein has also had a long history. Vice President Cheney recounted consistent examples over the years during his appearance on last Sunday’s “Meet the Press” on NBC:

“I know, for example, in ’95, when there was an effort to pass a resolution, the Security Council finding him in material breach, France opposed it. In ’96, when there was an effort to pass a resolution condemning Saddam Hussein for his slaughter of the Kurds, France opposed it. In ’97, when there was an effort to block travel by his intelligence and military officials, France opposed it. In ’98, France announced he was free of all weapons of mass destruction – something nobody believed. And in ’99, of course, they opposed the creation UNMOVIC, the existing inspection regime that they now want to place their total faith in with respect to trying to disarm Saddam Hussein.”

Following President Bush’s speech last Sept. 12 at the United Nations admonishing the Security Council to finally hold Iraq to task for its consistent and persistent violations of U.N. resolutions since 1991, the French – at Chirac’s direction – held up negotiations for months.

At the time of the passage of Resolution 1441 on Nov. 8, 2002, the French were insistent, despite the clear and unambiguous “serious consequences” language, that prior to any military enforcement a subsequent resolution would be required to do so.

Continuing French intransigence enraged U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell when foreign minister Dominique de Villepin deliberately deceived the U.S. diplomat when he called a special ministerial meeting for Jan. 20, 2003 – ostensibly as a follow-up meeting on international terrorism.

On Feb. 5 the Telegraph reported: “Mr. Powell was publicly embarrassed when the French foreign minister declared to the world that ‘nothing justifies envisaging military action against Iraq’. Mr. Powell was said by aides to be livid and felt that the French minister had betrayed him to curry favour at home.”

Chirac’s next act of defiance was to block NATO action to provide defensive assistance to Turkey – the first such request in 53 years – in the event of a conflict with Iraq, in direct violation of the NATO charter guaranteeing NATO support of any other member. The AP reported on Feb. 10, 2002, that Chirac said: "Nothing today justifies a war. This region really does not need another war."

Fortunately, defensive support was provided – bypassing French opposition – by acting at the behest of a NATO committee of which France is not a member.

Chirac then took his one-man Saddam fan club to a meeting of the European Union, which included prospective new EU members from the nations of eastern Europe. On Feb. 18 CNN.com reported on Chirac’s bizarre outbursts:

“BRUSSELS, Belgium – French President Jacques Chirac has attacked eastern European countries hoping to join the EU, saying they missed a great opportunity to ‘shut up’ when they signed letters backing the U.S. position on Iraq. Chirac said: ‘These countries have been not very well behaved and rather reckless of the danger of aligning themselves too rapidly with the American position. It is not really responsible behavior. It is not well brought-up behavior. They missed a good opportunity to keep quiet. I felt they acted frivolously because entry into the European Union implies a minimum of understanding for the others,’ Chirac said. Chirac called the letters ‘infantile’ and ‘dangerous,’ adding: ‘They missed a great opportunity to shut up.’ ”

Who does this guy think he is? But he just keeps on flailing.

When the U.S., Britain and Spain introduced their resolution simply reaffirming 1441, the French again sprang into action on behalf of Hussein, first announcing their strong opposition, then threatening a veto, and finally announcing they would veto any resolution holding Iraq accountable.

Further, Chirac – not satisfied with exercising France’s veto as a permanent Security Council member, thereby preventing its passage – dispatched de Villepin to visit the three African temporary members to lobby for their opposition to the measure.

That was an overt act to undermine the Security Council process and thwart stated U.S. interests.

Apparently, really feeling his “croissants” and reveling in his perceived self-importance and grandeur on the world stage, Chirac continued his shameless advocacy for kid-glove treatment of Iraq, even after Bush issued his final ultimatum to Hussein. On March 17 UPI reported Chirac’s latest diatribe:

"PARIS: ‘Iraq does not represent today an immediate threat that justifies an immediate war,’ Chirac said in remarks to the media delivered from the Elysee presidential palace. ‘Regardless of the evolution of events, this ultimatum threatens the idea we have of international relations,’ the French president said. ‘It impacts on the future of a people, the future of a region, the stability of the world.’ "

How much Merlot does this wacko consume?

This delusional fool was even then still calling for further U.N. involvement, oblivious that the U.S.-led train had already left the station.

He next issued a harsh statement of condemnation following the commencement of our military actions, as reported on March 20 by Reuters:

PARIS: “France regrets this action taken without the approval of the United Nations," Chirac said on national television. Chirac … said Europe must present its own view of the world's problems and form a common defense policy. Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin said war would “only worsen the situation in an already fragile region.”

And, in his latest display of the Mother of All Nerve, Monsieur Jacques Iraq now thinks he has “earned” the right to dictate who and who will not be responsible for oversight in a soon to be liberated Iraq!

In yesterday’s Daily Star, the chief Frog issued his latest fantasy:

BRUSSELS: “French President Jacques Chirac said Friday that France would oppose a new United Nations resolution that would allow the United States and Britain to administer postwar Iraq, as the United States met resistance to its call for countries to sever ties with Saddam Hussein’s regime. At a European Union summit, Chirac said he would “not accept” a resolution that “would legitimize the military intervention [and] would give the belligerents the powers to administer Iraq.”

The U.N. is the last place the U.S. and the U.K. should go for another resolution! How many times do we need to allow this Frog to slap us in the face? If it makes sense to tap the U.N. humanitarian organizations for that kind of assistance, fine; offer to let them perform that limited function.

But there’s no way we should ever subject the interests of the United States to the self-serving arrogance and double-dealing ways of this destructive sorry excuse for a man.

And we cannot and must not allow the French to have a single contract for the rebuilding of Iraq! Not just for all of its untoward and unacceptable behavior, but also for having violated the U.N. import sanctions to the tune of hundreds of billions of francs for the past dozen years. They don’t get a single franc more. Period.

So, there you have it – the fog of war and the frog of war.

Dan Frisa represented New York in the United States Congress and served four terms in the New York State Assembly.

E-mail Dan at: danfrisa@newsmax.com

Read more on this subject in related Hot Topics:
Saddam Hussein/Iraq
United Nations

Editor's note:
France Hates America and Is in Bed With Saddam - Boycott Cowardly France! Click Here Now!