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Americans have yet to understand the impact of 9/11. 3,000 innocent citizens murdered by religious idiots. We attacked Iraq (second time) to topple the brute and install democracy. The Impossible goal was idealistic and stupid. With our military power Iraq's blustering Hussein and his gang were defeated and gone in ten minutes. We've been some eight years trying to rebuild Iraq's infrastructure (why?), rebuild a legal system to replace Sharia law (why?), rebuild a police force to maintain order among the citizens of Iraq (why?), and spent time, effort and a huge amount of money on an attempt to install democracy (why?). What possesses us to regbuild our enemy's cities and fortresses? What makes us think we can overturn centuries of medieval, tribal, and corrupt societies and set them on a self government course friendly to the world?
Many scholars think that civilization began near where the Tigris and Euphrates rivers join. The land, once called Mesopotamia and now called Iraq, has been a in a turmoil ever since. There has been vicious religious infighting between Sunni, Shiite, and other Islamic sects since the day Mohamed was born. Are we so damn arrogant as to think we can turn these people into model citizens who peacefully debate issues, legally elect a representative government, and become a democratic society where none has ever existed?
Yesterday our Commander-in-Chief President decided to send some 30,000 more American troops to Afghanistan. The idea is to supplement our troops that are already there in order to defeat (or at least defang) the Talliban and al-Quaida organizations. The President did not identify our goals much further than that. He attempted to imply that the Afghans, despite their centuries of corruption, will have to step up to the plate and run their own country - as soon as OUR President says so. He further told the Afghans (and our targeted enemies) that we would begin withdrawing our troops in about a year and a half.
Our Commander-in-Chief President selected the military leadership in the Afghanistan-Pakistan area. They unanimously reported in August 09 that to attain victory there would require at least 40,000 more troops. The President told these military leaders in the field that he would think about it. For over three months, while our troops were dying in the field, the President attended parties, bowed to despots, apologized to former enemies, and told the world he was so sorry that America had always been so high and mighty. He did not reply to his General in Afghanistan until last night.
The entire world now understands that America feels no urgency to the war in Afghanistan-Pakistan. Our enemies can simply wait for a year or two - and then proceed to sponsor and subject the world to radical Islamic motivated terrorism. Time is on their side now as America has no taste for this war.
Let's take a quick look at the enemy. Afghanistan is a worthless piece of real estate. There is no real infrastructure, no effective government, no national court system, no industry beyond poppy growing, and no other agriculture worth mentioning. There is no national social establishment, only hundreds of locally powerful tribal chiefs. There is no effective educational system, and the one religion, Islam, is not unified. It is divided by many sects.
Our military actions in Afghanistan have forced the Taliban to cross the border into Pakistan. The Taliban seems to have no particular wish to engage Americans with terrorist activity. Yes, they are a corrupt and brutal bunch, intent on ruling Afghanistan and reaping profits from the sale of heroin made from their poppy industry. If America could convince them NOT to harbor terrorists within Afghanistan's border, there's no reason for us to be there.
The real serious and vicious enemy is al-Quaida, a much smaller organization than the Taliban, and much more of a terrorist threat to the world. This organization must be destroyed and it's members made impotent. It is now located, at least for the moment, in Pakistan. We have a very intense reason to engage Pakistan's friendship. They have the atomic bomb - and they do NOT welcome either the Taliban or al-Quaida on their soil. Pakistan, so far, has been a helpful ally in our effort to weed out and destroy these organizations. We need to reward their efforts.
Now that our slow to react Commander-in-Chief has finally decided to listen - this war in Afghanistan is now firmly HIS war. As it is being conducted, there is very little chance it will succeed. What will our President do then?
Comments
As for waiting... so he should have rushed to give McCrystal what he wanted with no plan and others dying for the choices he makes-- either way. That's how the chicken hawks operate but it seems to me he should have waited. Then he should have said we are leaving and left. I thought the same thing. We should convince the Taliban they cannot harbor al Qaeda without a cost but trying to do what McCrystal wants, which Obama is somewhat doing, would be wrong.
There are a lot of questions about McCrystal's record and whether any of the generals should be trusted since they are part of the military industrial complex is very debatable to me. If you read what Eisenhower said about these kind of wars, you see what has happened to us and he was a guy who knew a little bit about fighting a successful war...
Whatever obama does though, you guys and fox news will be complaining. You won't be satisfied until you have one of your own in power again. Interesting if that turns out to be Cheney, a man who didn't want to fight himself but sure enjoys sending out others.
Did you hear the speech at West Point? Did you hear Chris Matthews commentary about it? Obama does not seem to want to be President of the United States, he seems to want to be director of domestic tranquility or something. He does not seem to have what it takes to be commander in chief or a world leader. He only seems to want to do the fun parts and continue to live the rock star lifestyle of the first 100 days of his term.
If McCrystal is such a bad general then why did Obama fire the guy that was in charge of Afghanistan and put McCrystal in charge?
Cheney's time is over. It is time for the Republican party to remake itself with some fresh blood.
AND I always was against fighting war on the cheap and borrowing to do it. Give me a break! Most democrats wanted taxes to pay for whatever we were doing. It is Republicans who sent our troops to war without armor.
And Obama is not pleasing me with putting McCrystal in charge given his past record on torture also. As for Obama's ego, I don't know if it's out of control or not but it is certainly possible. Certainly we don't gain by supporting our leaders no matter what they do like Republicans did with Bush.