The operation was a concrete example of mixing metaphors, an artless collection of dramatic elements rather than a coherent plot. Sophocles would never have bought such a plan. The se c ond conspicuous fault with the Tehran operation was a shortage of rehearsals. Sophocles, the practical director, the repeated winner in national play competitions, would never have opened such a sloppy show. Fortunately, the truth is otherwise.
Improvement appears difficult only because most people approach it backwards.
Those who believe that strategy is an art, when asked how to acquire skill in it, usually recommend the study of earlier wars. Studying may sharpen one's eye for the painstaking detail needed to work out an operations plan. It does not teach how to conceive the strategy underlying the plan. As a former academy drama teacher and parttime play director, I have occasionally seen people suddenly uncover immense reservoirs of intuitive skill. I remember in particular a retired Air Force major with no previous experience who tried out for a little-theater production of Twelfth Night because his children thought that his participation would relieve his boredom.