The Vietnamese have a saying:  "When eating fruit, think of the person who planted the tree."  We Americans, when eating fruit, rarely think of anything other that filling our stomachs.  Therein lies a dilemma in our capacity to fill our strategic interests in the world.

This clash in time horizon undermines America as we race into the 21st century.  We have become an incredibly impatient people and in our rush we make poor decisions, with the merit of the cause getting lost in the haste of the moment.  Edward Banfield, a Harvard social scientist of a generation ago, identified time perspective as a a major determinant among social classes. In Banfield's world, those who looked far beyond their immediate requirements were much more likely to find success in life.

When it comes to Iraq, everything has been a Kentucky Derby of sorts.  We sprinted to get into the war, not really knowing why such action was imperative especially with a war in Afghanistan underway.  Now, the political manifesto is to get out of this conflict as soon as we can.   The "surge" is judged a failure even before it is in place.

For the past thirty years I have studied war, especially World War II to the present.  I was able to "live" war first hand in Vietnam as a young Marine. I entered the service as a generational privilege.   I left flat on my back with wounds to my chest and legs. It is an honor to serve this country and to march into battle with those who will die for you.  Where else in life can that happen?

I found my war to have a flawed operational premise, much as this one has.  America asked its warriors in Vietnam to serve 12 or 13-month tours of day. As soon as one planted their feet on the ground, the calendar watching inevitably began.  Whatever happened to the idea that one stick around until the job was done?  My Uncle Perry, a Marine's Marine, fought for 15 straight years with little time off!  He fought throughout the Pacific WWII campaign, spent five years chasing and fighting elusive Japanese who didn't want the war to be over throughout the Philippines, and then was called to Korea for the duration of the war.  He was of a generation that was determined to make it right.

Fighting is tough business and we've never had better men and woman under arms than the current group.  Not only do we have great warriors, backed by great families and communities.  I can only begin to imagine how it is to send such individuals off to war and I know that asking them to stay longer would be a strain.  But war has never been pleasant, not now or ever.

When listening to the Democratic debate from the Citadel, I could not help but wonder if the candidates really understood the sacrifice that individuals too often make in blood, sweat and tears. Of the Democrat candidates, Chris Dodd is the only "veteran" with brief experience in the National Guard. Yet all of them, save Joe Biden, are ready to shut the war down at the earliest possible time.

Only history will be able to fully judge the degree of folly in this war.  Are we fighting a worthy enemy of Islamic extremists or are we just stuck in the middle of a nasty civil conflict?  While history will answer that question, there can be no doubt about our haste.  Let's make careful decisions and let us configure our force to pursue on strategic interest.  It is that area where we are falling short and shame on us for it.