In many ways Bush is allowing himself to be caught in the same trap that Reagan trapped the CCCP in, I think this is slowly sinking through even the hardened Republican hides of upper management in Fox.
This is more apt than you realize.
Proceedings, the Naval Institute's independent magazine, has been guardedly optimistic about Iraq/Afghanistan overall though certainly quite willing to criticize on points. This, I think, reflects the attitude of the sea services (Navy, Marines, Coast Guard) towards the endeavour in general, because on balance they have turned in highly respectable performances. The Marines were very unhappy with their performance in Gulf One, and they stepped up their training and force modernization efforts accordingly; when Afghanistan came, even the Army's formations supposedly designed for the cold-weather mountainous environment (10th Mountain Division) dropped the ball, the average Marine unit did well. The Navy has seen their doctrine for the last 15 years reconfirmed. The Coast Guard has recieved extra funding and authority, as well as an overseas force-protection role that has put them more on an equal footing with the other services; they're not quite so much the distant, strange, poor cousin they once were.
Then, in the last two issues, contributors have done a complete about-face.
Why? Iraq is going to destroy their ability to keep up their force modernization at this rate. The Marines have already had to put an improved amphibous assault personnel carrier they have been clamoring for for at least a
decade on hold because they can't get the funding to buy the damn things. The Navy is starting to become mildly worried about the future of the DDG-X and Virginia classes, and there are rumbles that if it comes to it then it will either be those two or the much-questioned Littoral Combat Ship if it comes down to it, pick one. Even the Coast Guard is starting to worry that overseas commitments are going to interfere with their commitments for search-and-rescue and law enforcement around the US, though as yet they have no reason to fear funding shortage.
