Cover at the Corner Peter Wehner takes Mark Helprin to task for a piece in the Wall Street Journal that, while dealing mainly with the manifold sins of talk radio, also includes the following bit on the conduct of the Iraq war:

Wehner’s critique of this statement deals mainly with the strategic ramifications of such a rapid withdrawal, such as the descent of Iraq into anarchy, the creation of a power vacuum to be filled by al Qaeda, the opportunity for Iran to extend its influence to the far side of the Persian Gulf, etc. All of which is true, but there is another and more general aspect to be considered. As a military analyst, I see Helprin’s prescription for Iraq as breathtaking in both its arrogance and its ignorance of military affairs. It is a striking example of the contrast between what Karl von Clausewitz called the difference between “war on paper” and “real war.” Helprin breezily asserts that the U.S.”should have cut through Baghdad after three days and exited three weeks later,” which makes one wonder if he has ever looked at a map of Iraq and checked out the distances. Not even the Soviet Army, in its deepest Cold War fantasies, ever believed it could advance at such a rate–indeed, not even George Patton’s legendary Third Army in World War II was able to do so. As for pulling out in three weeks, this statement merely confirms the old adage that “amateurs study tactics, professionals study logistics.” If getting to Baghdad was a challenge, getting all our forces back from Baghdad, intact and with all of their supplies and equipment, would have been a prodigy of arms. A professional looking at Mr. Helprin’s plan would only shake his head in disbelief. Helprin seems to think that war is simply a matter of drawing up some plans on a map, handing the plans to the commanders, and telling them to go. It is never so easy, in part because the enemy might have something to say about one’s plans, but also because of that pervasive phenomenon that Clausewitz called “friction.” In On War (which almost as many claim to have read as claim to have read the Bible), Clausewitz writes, with people like Helprin in mind: