[nato] move over brits, here comes yankee know-how

Beautiful illustration of the essential differences between the British and US attitude to war.

The highest-ranking U.S. general to lead troops in Afghanistan took command of 35,500 NATO soldiers Sunday after nine months of British command. Gen. Dan K. McNeill replaced British Gen. David Richards to lead NATO's International Security Assistance Force after a year of sharply increased violence following the alliance's push into the Taliban's southern heartland.

The clearly pro-American article went on:

Military officials said they expect McNeill to take a harder line with insurgents than Richards. Richards backed a peace deal in the southern town of Musa Qala that crumbled in his last days in command when an estimated 200 Taliban fighters overran the town on Thursday. NATO said a targeted airstrike Sunday killed a key Taliban leader behind the upheaval.

I wonder if McNeill is aware of this and this about the Taliban and its plans for the spring offensive or does he think this is how they operate? If so, then we are headed for a conflagration of epic proportions. If not, then the new gung-ho NATO won’t know what hit them.