No borders . . . no boundaries . . . in a GWOT

Dateline: Strategistsí workshop, SOCOM, Wyndham Hotel, Tampa FLA, 12 July

No borders, no boundariesóthe motto of SOCOM in the GWOT.

An interesting morning of receiving command briefs from the seniors at SOCOM, plus getting several hours with the Combatant Commander himself, one very impressive Army 4-star by the rather bland name of Doug Brown. I was also fortunate to spend a lot of off-line time with the deputy 3-star commander, Vice Admiral Eric Olsonóanother very impressive individual.

The first day of discussions were typically very high altitude, what with all these great minds and egos around the table. I got mine stroked by the famous futurist Peter Schwartz (he of advising-Steven-Spielberg-on-Minority-Report fameóamong many other things, I just think thatís one of the coolest), who was nice enough to say he had read PNM and really enjoyed itóespecially the splitting of the force stuff.

Other than that nice stroke, though, pretty much a day of mega-egos telling one another how they really didnít understand the true nature of whatever problem we were discussing that moment. As someone who spends a lot of time doing facilitation at events like this, I was less than happy with the laid-back attitude of our West Point-provided discussion herder, but the problem was a good one: having the 4-star in the room meant everyone spent their time speaking as much as possible to him. Makes sense, but 9 people all trying to impress the hell out of one principal gets a bit grubby for my tastesólike a bad reality show where all the prospective spouses are trying to land the attention of Joe Zillionaire.

Still, despite the inefficiency, a pretty good interaction, and a real privilege to spend that many hours with the Combatant Commander of the Global War on Terrorismótalk about a guy with the weight of the world on his shoulders! But Brown is one of those guys whom you meet and then you walk away feeling pretty darn good that someone that impressive is in such a difficult jobóditto with the deputy Olson. This military produces great leader after great leader like no other public institution on the planet.

Plus I got my second command medallion from the head of SOCOM. Got my first from Peter Schoomaker in 1999 (heís now the Chief of Staff, Army), so proving my utility to such an important player yet again feels like getting back to the Super Bowl--hell, youíre just proud to be asked.

Vice Admiral Olson was kind enough to bring me a copy of the letters-to-the-editor page from his own subscription copy of Esquire (August edition). I hadnít seen them yet, and was dreading them, knowing how much Mark Warren delights in putting the nastiest ones down in print. Well, thereís one letter in there thatís pretty darn hilarious, given where I am right now and what I did today, but Iíll leave the blogging on that one for later. 12-hour day is at an end. Gotta be bright-eyed for the next one tomorrow.

Hereís todayís catch:

Pre-emptive is not the problem, but post-emptive is the solution

ìBushís Pre-emptive Strategy Meets Some Untidy Reality: After Iraq, the standard of proof gets higher,î by David E. Sanger, New York Times, 12 July, p. A6.

ìAfghan President Describes Militia As The Top Threat: Worse Than the Taliban; Karzai Says ëthe Stick Has to Be Used,í but Offers No Details on Plans,î by Carlotta Gall and David Rohde, NYT, 12 July, p. A1.

The biggest question is, Who will vote that otherwise might not?

ìKerry TV ads outpace Bushís: Gap upsets political expertsí predictions,î by Mark Memmott, USA Today, 12 July, p. A1.

ìGay issues on ballots add twist to election: Marriage ban initiatives could draw GOP voters,î by Kathy Kiely, USA, 12 July, p. A1.

ìUrged by Right, Bush Takes On Gay Marriages,î by Adam Nagourney and David D. Kirkpatrick, NYT, 12 July p. A1.

ìíFahrenheit 9/11í Has Recruited Unlikely Audience: U.S. Soldiers,î by Shailagh Murray, Wall Street Journal, 12 July, p. A4.

U.S. Dollar, the $800-pound gorilla in the global economy

ìAs Fear of Deficits Falls, Some See a Larger Threat: Though Worries of 1980s Never Materialized, Budget Faces New Stresses Today,î by Greg Ip, WSJ, 12 July, p. A1.

ìDollar Could Buy Trouble: If Currency Weakens, Asian Central Banks Risk Sparking Inflation,î by Phillip Day, WSJ, 12 July, p. A15.

ìChina Trades Its Way to Power,î by Jason T. Shaplen and James Laney, NYT, 12 July, p. A23.

Just in time: a remake of Manchurian Candidate

ìU.S. Tries to Divine al Qaedaís Next Move: As Concern Mounts Over Election-Disrupting Plots, Officials Look Back to Predict the Future,î by Robert Block and Glenn R. Simpson, WSJ, 12 July, p. A4.

AIDS: India needs its Ryan White, Africa needs its nurses

ìIn India, Stigma Of AIDS Curbs Control of HIV,î by Joanna Slater, WSJ, 12 July, p. B1.

ìAn Exodus of African Nurses Puts Infants and the Ill in Peril,î by Celia W. Dugger, New York Times, 12 July, p. A1.