Why is it that military commanders seem to have the same fantastical distorted view of reality that gambling addicts do? They cannot except the fact that they have gone bust for the umpteenth time and instead of facing the reality of their situation continue to beg, borrow and steal to keep in the game. And both groups end up putting other people's lives in jeopardy.

Both addictions are learned behaviors. The gambler learns his early on in life when the penny-ante poker game in the high school locker room morphs into stealing ten bucks from his mother's purse for a bet on a sure winner in the ninth race. And just like drug addiction, the gambling addict keeps needing more and more and ever increasing levels of intoxication. The military leaders learn their addictive behavior in the military schools and academies where the first and most important lesson is drummed into their heads from Day One: "Failure is NOT an option".

And both groups are convinced that the next roll of the dice or the next battle plan will turn the tide for them. It's their distorted view of reality and their learned addictive behavior that prevents them from being even remotely aware of the hopelessness of their situation and that the only outcome will be disaster. Neither of them ever learn from their past mistakes and misadventures. The military has never come to grips with the failure and defeat in Viet Nam. To this day, some will still argue that if Nixon hadn't chickened out, we would have won. We had them on the run they say. Illusion and delusion.

After Viet Nam, the military hardened their defenses and doubled down on each and every conflict since then. And we have paid the price for their addiction in both blood and treasure. They have even managed to convince themselves and their Neocon enablers that we broke even in Iraq. No harm, no foul. And since we still have a few chips left, let's see how the game is going in Afghanistan. But once again, they are being suckered into the world's largest Three Card Monte game. The Taliban control the deck. It's their house.

The time has come for President Obama to initiate an intervention with his military leaders. It's time that they finally see that "war games" aren't games at all. It's time to remind them that their mission is to protect the United States from foreign enemies who threaten our homeland and the safety of its citizens. They are defenders not aggressors.