Bring it On?

I've mentioned that we don't hear much from the jihadis about how they welcome fighting our troops on the ground rather than facing our cruise missiles. In the early weeks of the Afghan Campaign when our bombing campaign was beginning, that was a common jihadi complaint.

Six-plus years of on-the-ground ass-whipping has ended this enemy boast:

Thanks to the Internet, the word has gotten around that, no matter how U.S. troops are dressed, they are very badass. Even pro-terrorist propagandists no longer try to peddle the "cowardly American soldier" line. It just doesn't play, because too many Iraqis and Afghans have gotten online and described personal experiences fighting alongside, or even against, U.S. troops, or just witnessing it. The general message is, you do not want to mess with the Americans in full battle-rattle.

As this realization spreads, it becomes more socially acceptable for angry young Moslem men to decline the offer to participate in the jihad. And young men who go off to jihad yet survive a few days will be able to more credibly explain why they are back from Iraq or Pakistan. These men will have incentive to play up our fighting prowess to make their return more acceptable and understandable.

It's a cycle of virtue! Who says killing the enemy is counter-productive and just creates more enemies? Certainly not I. As I've always written, only ineffectively fighting encourages an enemy.