I have no doubt that Ignatieff's decision to "scorch the earth" in parliament was influenced by his Czarist ancestors defeating Napoleon's "Grand Army" with that same tactic. The problem with that strategy is that if your opponent doesn't stretch his supply lines too far too fast, the tactic doesn't work. If Napoleon did not press for Moscow and march right into the Czarist trap, they might very well be speaking French in modern day Stalingrad. While we could never know the actual data, as a student that studied Napoleon's invasion of Russia, it is reasonable to say that as many French soldiers froze to death in the winter as were killed by Russian troops. Had Napoleon decided to winter in Vilnius and gathered his force and supplies instead of marching on Moscow, the results of the campaign would have been different. Ironic that one of the coldest winters in the history of Russia came before the invention of the modern internal combustion engine…
To the Conservatives, I say build your strength in Vilnius and do not march on Moscow. Let the "Ruskies" burn their supplies and suffocate themselves.
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