National security types have long noted -- and complained about -- the relative lack of military veterans in Congress, which results in too few experienced votes being cast when the prospect of overseas interventions is raised. I have long noted -- and complained about -- the fact that Congress' most prominent military vets hail from the Vietnam era, which has led many to instinctively reject the necessity and utility of conducting nation-building and counterinsurgency. Clearly, our lengthy interventions in Iraq and Afghanistan will alter this generational equation, but how will the experiences of today's veterans impact their votes in tomorrow's Congress?
Luke S. Larson's new book, "
Senator's Son: An Iraq War Novel," attempts to answer that question. Forget the weak crisis scenario he offers in the flash-forwards that dot this here-and-now novel. (No great powers will be clashing over oil reserves in 2047, because oil just won't be that important come mid-century.) Instead, concentrate on the terrific way in which this former Marine infantry officer captures the day-to-day challenges facing platoon leaders in Ramadi just prior to and then during the "surge" period in which
counterinsurgency logic was finally -- and seriously -- re-embraced by the U.S. military. ...