Down and Dirty

There is no doubt in my mind when history was written,
the final page will say: 'Victory was achieved by the
United States of America for the good of the world
--George W. Bush, to Gen. Petraeus
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President Bush is speaking in the tantalizing past tense here, like some kind of modern-day Nostradamus. Perhaps he doesn't really know something we don't, but simply chose the wrong verb tense. Happens even to the best of us.

Take a look at this ROVER JTAC system -- a small computerized laptop radio and all the goodies. And what does the Air Force do with this high-tech contraption? That's right, sets its all down in the dirt. Somehow that seems contraindicated for a piece of equipment with such refined tolerances.

The caption reads:

"Joint terminal attack controller Master Sgt. Chris Thompson communicates via a remotely operated video enhancement receiver recently in Southwest Asia. The ROVER, a small laptop with an external antenna, allows the JTAC to see from the eyes of the pilot, ensuring minimal collateral damage (Lifting the Fog of War.)

Of course, ROVER can only "see" if it is fully operational. Now, you can put a Ranger in the dirt and he will function just fine.

But that is not the way to treat a computerized attack control system.