Best Defense
Thomas E. Ricks' daily take on national security.

Keith Marine’s Afghan Review (XVII and last): Pulling the plug prematurely

I am sorry to report that CWO2/Gunner Keith Marine has decided that he no longer wants me to excerpt his terrific review on lessons to be learned in Afghanistan. I was ambivalent about complying with his request, but I decided that it would be wrong to use the document against his wishes. He is a ...

By , a former contributing editor to Foreign Policy.
MANPREET ROMANA/AFP/Getty Images
MANPREET ROMANA/AFP/Getty Images
MANPREET ROMANA/AFP/Getty Images

I am sorry to report that CWO2/Gunner Keith Marine has decided that he no longer wants me to excerpt his terrific review on lessons to be learned in Afghanistan. I was ambivalent about complying with his request, but I decided that it would be wrong to use the document against his wishes. He is a terrific writer, a clear thinker, and a honest man, and to continue to run excerpts would punish him for those virtues. So, with great reluctance, I am terminating the series now, only one-third of the way through. It is a shame because he was just getting to his particular field of expertise, the performance of weapons in the field.

I am sorry to report that CWO2/Gunner Keith Marine has decided that he no longer wants me to excerpt his terrific review on lessons to be learned in Afghanistan. I was ambivalent about complying with his request, but I decided that it would be wrong to use the document against his wishes. He is a terrific writer, a clear thinker, and a honest man, and to continue to run excerpts would punish him for those virtues. So, with great reluctance, I am terminating the series now, only one-third of the way through. It is a shame because he was just getting to his particular field of expertise, the performance of weapons in the field.

Thomas E. Ricks is a former contributing editor to Foreign Policy. Twitter: @tomricks1

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