Pollywog Poli-blog

Inside the Beltway, outside the loop

Air Force Colonel John Boyd is one of those renaissance men who, 200 years ago, would be as celebrated as von Clauswitz or Lafayette. Unfortunately, current cultural mores prevent the idea of glorifying running dog warmongers, errr, military heroes, so his work has been laregly unknown outside military circles.

Which is a shame, as his work on OODA loop is nothing short of brilliant. In defining what initiative is in combat, and how to get it, his thinking has been embraced by everyone from butterbar First Looeys in the army to the boardrooms of America's most powerful companies.

And obviously, the GOP as well. Ever since the start of Iraq War, the GOP has held the initiiative in national politics, from Social Security to ANWAR to trade. The Dems haven't figured this out yet. They've fallen back into the rhetoric of the anti-Vietnam era, where every setback is a Tet, every protest is a Kent State in the making, and even Jane Fonda is back on the road again.

The Dems don't realize what worked with their leadership in Congress and a GOP president crippled by Watergate won't work with a GOP Congress that's been gaining seats for the last 10 years straight, and strong future Presidential candidates on the horizon like McCain and Guiliani. The GOP is running rings around the political strategists of the Dems (Damn you, Karl Rove! :-) ), and unless the Dems can drop the 60's-speak and wake up to the 21st century, it'll be that way for a while to come.

posted by Kevin Creighton @ 5:47 PM