Some Battles Are Worth Fighting, And Others Are Not

Historical opinion is often divided on the subject of famous military commanders.  The good favor of historians may be divided with regard to their abilities, their judgments, and their battlefield results; and this favor can shift with time as readily as sand drifts aggregate and dissipate in the desert.  Douglas MacArthur is one example.  Some see him as a brilliant strategist and tactician, using sophisticated combinations to outflank and out-maneuver his opponents; others see only a vain egoist whose achievements were obscured by his personal flaws.

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