OODA Loop?

John McCain continues to apply tactics learned as a fighter pilot and utilize them with a timing honed from years in Washington. Frankly, I am impressed and as longtime readers know the olde Rumbear being impressed by McCain is ..... rare.

So what's this OODA, you ask?

It has become an important concept in both business and military strategy. According to Boyd, decision-making occurs in a recurring cycle of observe-orient-decide-act. An entity (either an individual or an organization) that can process this cycle quickly, observing and reacting to unfolding events more rapidly than an opponent, can thereby "get inside" the opponent's decision cycle and gain a military or business advantage.

Quite simple in theory, difficult in application. Fighter pilots that master the skill, live to fight another day. Those that don't, well, if they are lucky, life goes on.

Today John McCain used his skills and elected to suspend his campaign, cancel the debate, return to Washington and dive in to the financial crisis. Taking the fight to the opponent, turn inside and go for the advantage.

ObamalamaDingDong has been caught flat footed, again. (The last time was when McCain named Fair Sarah as his running mate.)

Some will call fowl, say it is a stunt. Yet, it is a bold move that may pay big dividends. Risk vs reward........No doubt this move will dominate the news cycle.

Barry say the debates are still on. Uh, good luck with that.

OODA!

UPDATE: 09/25/08 08:39 PST ----Turning hard. Pullings G's. Target acquired.

Obama himself declared that the country may be on the verge of the greatest economic calamity since the Great Depression.Yet instead of taking just 24-48 hours to tend to his day job and deal with the largest piece of legislation in U.S. history he insists on having a debate on a wholly unrelated topic, on a Friday night no less. This from a candidate who couldn't be bothered to debate in July and August, when nothing of great urgency was going on in the senate.

The debate will still take place — either Friday or a few days later. Nothing will be lost if there's a slight delay after two insufferable years of campaigning. But time is of the essence as concerns the bailout. And while the presence of one or two senators may not have a great impact on, say, senate legislation designating Oct. 16 National Bosses' Day, the absence of two senators on a bill of this magnitude is gross dereliction of duty — especially when one of the two will be charged with executing it.