The Art of Political Warfare

257 Pages·2001·9.93 MB·English

by  John J.

The Art of Political Warfare
This page intentionally left blank
The Art of
Political
Warfare
J O H N J. PITNEY, JR.
UNIVERSITYO F OKLAHOMAP RESS
Norman
ALSO BY JOHN J. PITNEY, JR.
(with William F. Connelly, Jr.) Congress' Permanent Minority?
Republicans in the US.H ouse (Lanham, Md., 1994)
This book is published with the generous assistance of Edith Gaylord Harper.
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA
Pitney, John J. 1955-
The art of political warfare /John J. Pitney, Jr.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-8061-3263-9( cloth)
ISBN 0-8061-3382-1( paper)
1. Politics, Practical. 2. Political participation. 3. Military art and science-Political
aspects. I. Title
The paper in this book meets the guidelines for permanence and durability of the Com-
mittee on Production Guidelines for Book Longevity of the Council on Library Resources,
Inc.
00
Copyright O 2000 by the University of Oklahoma Press, Norman, Publishing Division of
the University. All rights reserved. Manufactured in the U.S.A. First printing of the Red
River Books edition, 2001
For Lisa
This page intentionally left blank
Contents
Acknowledgments ix
1
Introduction 3
2
Strategy 21
3
Leadership 42
4
Coordination 61
5
Rallying the Troops 80
6
Demoralization, Deception, and Stealth 100
7
Intelligence 120
8
Geography and Logistics 138
9
Friction and Finality 158
10
Scholars and Metaphors 179
Notes 199
Index 237
vii
This page intentionally left blank
Acknowledgments
I thank Kimberly Wiar at the University of Oklahoma Press for
her encouragement at the beginning of this project, her patience
at the end, and her advice and friendship throughout. Bill Rood
and Alex Lamy provided me with substantive and stylistic help,
offering their insights and saving me from many errors. Bob
Faggen, Larry Arnn, Joe Rodota, and Chris Wiedey all pointed me
toward valuable resources, contributing much more than they
realized at the time. Bill Connelly and Jim Pinkerton have taught
me much over the years: Many of the book's ideas took root while
I was swapping thoughts with them during long-distancep hone
calls and email exchanges. Both generously took time from their
busy schedules to offer comments that greatly improved the
manuscript, as did several anonymous reviewers. And my wife,
Lisa Minshew Pitney, helped me revise the first draft. This book
would not have been possible without her intellectual guidance,
emotional support, and loving forbearance.
This platoon of helpers went above and beyond the call of duty
to improve The Art of Political Warfare. They bear no responsibil-
ity for any remaining errors. As Dwight Eisenhower was ready to
say in case the D-Day invasion failed, "If any blame or fault
attaches to the attempt, it is mine alone."