European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - June 22, 2007, Darmstadt, Hesse                                June 2007 stars and stripes Page 17 despite Trail a bigger army wont help by Andrew Bacevich is the army too Small the democrats vying to succeed George Bush think presidential hopefuls Hillary John Edwards and Barack Obama All if to expand our land Clinton has declared it past time to in crease the end strength of the army and Edwards Calls for a substantial Obama offers hard numbers his program specifies the addition of leading republicans John Mccain has Long advocated a bigger Rudy Giuliani and Mitt Romney Are now chiming Giuliani wants to expand the army with an additional 10 combat Bri Romney says that at least More troops Are this bipartisan consensus which even includes who recently unveiled his own five year plan to enlarge the army and Marine corps illustrates the inability or refusal of the political class to grasp the True nature of our foreign policy any politician who thinks that the chief lesson to be drawn from the last five years is that we need More americans toting rifles and carry ing Rucksacks has Learned this enthusiasm for putting More americans in uniform and for increasing Overall military spending reflects the persistence of a second consensus to which leading democrats and republicans alike stubbornly this second consensus consists of two according to the first the Only Way to win the so called global War on terror thereby precluding another is to fix whatever ails the islamic according to the Sec Ond the United states possesses the wherewithal to effect just such a in by employing Ameri can beginning with Mili tary to ameliorate the ills afflicting we will ensure our own this is sheer As events in Iraq have manifestly yet even among mainstream re publicans and expectations persist that the United states can somehow Reform and there fore pacify the Muslim in the great lesson of Iraq further affirmed in Afghanistan is that the umma the arabic name for the entire Muslim Community is All but impervious to change imposed from the if our Ham handed efforts to inculcate Freedom and de even if have played into the hands of Vio Lent islamic the Bush administrations strategy has exacerbated the problem it was designed to Given the mess in which we currently find increasing the number of men and women under arms makes about As much sense As drinking Bourbon to treat in the Short the antidote might make you feel bet but at a Cost of masking the underlying problem and allowing it to the underlying problem is that the Basic orientation of policy since has been Flat Bush Conception of waging an open ended global War to eliminate terrorism has disastrously and simply trying harder no matter How Many More soldiers we recruit and no matter How Many More Muslim countries we invade and liberate will not reverse that the Challenge confronting those aspiring to the there is to devise an to pass any such strategy will have to recognize the limits of american military and oth it must acknowledge that because the United states cannot change we have no alternative but to coexist with winds yet coexistence should not imply appeasement or any plausible strategy will pre scribe Concrete and sustainable policies designed to contain the virulent Strain of radicalism currently flourishing in parts of the islamic the alternative to trans formation is not surrender but Over of islam will become something other than what it is but As with our own pos Tchristian that Evo Lution will be determined primarily by forces our interest lies in nudging that evolution along a path that alleviates rather than perpetuates conflict Between islam and the in that the requirement is not for a bigger army but for fresh informed by modesty and a sense of the candidate who can articulate such ideas might Well Merit re Spect and popular those who in the absence of serious strategic analysis reflexively posture about the need for More troops de serve Only Andrew Bacevich is a professor of history and International relations at Boston this column first appeared in the los Angeles too much attention paid to two pretty women t ombudsman to Page 1 items in stars and both featuring attractive women and published two Days have stirred up some con David Mazzarella in stripes june 8 Europe and Mideast what in the business is called a or bore a picture of Paris Hil ton with the headline that was Quick Hil ton leaves she had gone to the Clin Ker three Days earlier for violating parole placed on a Reck Les driving convict and was released because of an unspecified medical on june 6 june 7 for Okinawa and Korea Europe and Mideast Page is car ried a teaser showing former air Force staff Michelle Manhart posing for a Calendar wearing what looked like a Bikini but really was body Manhart had been Dis charged from the service earlier this year for posing nude for she was disciplined for improper use of her uniform during the stripes and Many other papers and television networks had produced coverage of both women in the these latest entries in stripes Drew senior airman Jack writing to the editor from Balad air thought it very sad that we have any news or information on the cover of stars and or any newspaper for that about the go Ingson of Paris he what exactly does she do he uhf it comes to plastering this sort of garbage on the front what exactly we saving about ourselves i asked stripes news Pat to the court Case and jailing of Paris Hilton was the first time she made real he it was a Case with real so Cial implications do the wealthy get treated differently but the Story referred to on Page 14 Mideast Page 19 Europe was a four Para graph Brief with no mention of any social in the Washington Post also caught heat for putting Hilton on Page at least it had a longer Story inside about the though the explanation its managing editor gave for the Page 1 appearance seemed strained to me the Paris Hilton Saga Speaks to our character As a celebrity soaked the Phil which is Why so Many people find something to say about and Why it deserved some place on i say the front Page of any newspaper is prime real estate like the kind Hiltons family owns and worthy of More substantial which brings to mind an 11word letter to the editor published in the Post on june 16 Paris Hilton is the perfect argument for keeping the inheritance the Manhart coverage got some Peoples backs master Garcia at Kadena air base on wrote to the editor i appreciate stars and but it offends me when you portray an individual who has brought discredit upon herself and the air Force As a the coverage was deemed a waste of and stripes was asked to apologize to the air Force Community for publishing this an oped column in stripes june 20 editions by Samantha writing from Camp Tore into Manhart and also had some implied criticism of stripes and the she wrote the very concept that someone like this someone who dishonoured her her com her station and her country can be rewarded or Given Praise and Atten Tion for doing the same thing is a sickening again i went to who had held Sway Over Page 1 at the time of the cover and this time fully agreed with him i Felt that the Manhart Story would be of inter est to however ill gotten or fleeting her she was a National news figure who did something to raise Money for wounded troops an allusion to the proceeds expected from the Calendar when the Story of the Playboy airman broke in january a period of time when this ombudsman was editorial director stripes played it on Page whatever one thought of Man Harts they were unique for a person in uniform at least when not posing for a and the full weight of the air forces disciplinary action was news in and of i go along with Page 1 for this got a question or suggestion for the ombudsman on what or should in stars and stripes Send an email to , or phone 2027610945 in the to our readers Dave Mazzarella readers Corner blog can be found at prickly City by Scott Stantis