The situation in Vietnam - er - Afghanistan is growing worse, and without more boots on the ground the U.S. risks failure in a war it's been waging since September -1959- er, sorry, keeps slipping - 1959 - No, 2001, the top U.S. and NATO commander in Vietnam - dang - Afghanistan says in a confidential report."Resources will not win this war, but under-resourcing could lose it," Gen. William C. Westmoreland - sorry - Gen. Stanley McChrystal wrote in a five-page Commander's Summary. His 66-page report, sent to Defense Secretary Robert McNamera - no, Robert Gates - on Aug. 30, is now under review by President Lyndon B. Joh- Barack Obama.
Details of Westmoreland - d'oh, again! - McChrystal's assessment were first reported late Sunday by The Washington Post. The newspaper posted a link to the report on its - newspaper - no -Web site, with some operational details withheld at the request of the Pentagon.
"Although considerable effort and sacrifice have resulted in some progress, many indicators suggest the overall effort is deteriorating," McChrystal said of the war's progress.
While asserting that more troops are needed, McChrystal also pointed out an "urgent need" to significantly revise strategy. The U.S. needs to interact better with the -Vietnamese - agh! - Afghan people, McChrystal said, and better organize its efforts with NATO allies.
"We run the risk of strategic defeat by pursuing tactical wins that cause civilian casualties or unnecessary collateral damage. The insurgents cannot defeat us militarily; but we can defeat ourselves."
Look gang, I think we need to reassess what our goals really are in Iraq and Afghanistan. Our treasury has been depleted to win a war that cannot be won. Darius the Great, Alexander the Great, Chandragupta Maura, Ashoka, Kanishka, Menander, Atilla the Hun, Genghis Khan, Timur, Mahmud Ghazni, Mahmud Ghori, Babur, Hmanyun, Akbar, Nadir Shah... the British Empire, the Soviet Union, and now the United States. What an interesting fraternity. And even those that had early victories - they found it was impossible to keep their possessions very long.
Let's be clear, I very much support our troops and our troop's families. I think we all need to look long and hard as to why we're being asked to escalate the war in Afghanistan.
Even Genghis figured that out. And he wasn't there to win "hearts and minds."
5 comments:
LP Monday Message: Libertarians want to end, not escalate, war in Afghanistan
posted by Staff on Sep 21, 2009
September 21, 2009
Dear Friend of Liberty,
You may have heard today's prominent news stories about President Obama's military commander in Afghanistan, Stanley McChrystal, and his request to greatly increase the presence of U.S. armed forces there.
The Libertarian Party opposes this plan. We want to end the war, not escalate it.
In September 2008, the Libertarian National Committee adopted this resolution:
WHEREAS the government of the United States should return to its historical libertarian tradition of avoiding entangling alliances, foreign quarrels, and military adventures; and
WHEREAS the stability and security of Afghanistan lie outside the jurisdiction of the government of the United States; and
WHEREAS the Libertarian Party recognizes that the only legitimate role of the military is to defend America against direct attack or the imminent threat of attack;
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Libertarian National Committee calls on the government of the United States to withdraw the armed forces of the United States from Afghanistan, without undue delay.
Democrats often claim to oppose foreign wars. But after eight months in total control of Congress and the White House, Democrats have done nothing to end the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
I hope you will support us in our efforts to oppose this war.
Sincerely,
Wes Benedict
Executive Director
Libertarian National Committee
P.S. If you have not yet become a member of the Libertarian Party and wish to do so, please click here and join the only political party dedicated to free markets and civil liberties. If you need to renew, please click here. If you would like to make a contribution separate from membership, please click here.
Indecisiveness gets Soldiers killed in combat. That's a fact. I am very disappointed in the leadership of our highest echelons of government that are waiting to make a decision instead of getting the forces on the ground necessary to eliminate this threat. Al Qaeda is not going away. The Taliban that harbors and supports them is not going away. The pro-Islamist militias in Somalia have just sworn allegiance to UBL. We are fighting foreigners from Russia, Europe, Asia, and even the USA iteself. Our enemies won't simply let us off with a mulligan and not try to fight us on our soil. If the American public thinks that our enemies are just going to go away and not do something worse than 9/11, they have another thing coming. By the way, who is protecting Pakistani nuclear sites? Catch my point now?
Bottom line, does America want to finish this problem or would it rather suffer thousands more dead civilians that had no chance to protect themselves? Is stopping now before success worth the possibility of another round of terrorist attacks on our own soil? I'd rather go back in there and put my life at risk than let innocent Americans die at the hands of our enemies. For the greater good is how I see it. Why is it so hard for our own government to see that too? This situation is a disgrace to our Soldiers and military leaders. Now I know how our forces felt during the Vietnam War when they were betrayed by the premature removal of our forces prior to finishing the conflict. (Probably nothing compared to the last terror filled moments of the thousands of civilians slaughtered by the communists, but I digress.) We need to stay the course or just shut our doors to the world and say the hell with everyone else. Is that the American way?
I think we better get serious about killing these motherfucking Talibans before another 9/11 happens. And nuking that rock infested hell hole isn't going to get the job done.
Now, that didn't work out so well for all those other folks - like he said - but being nice and kind about it isn't getting the job done either.
If we don't do it, the Indians will be pouring into Pakistan, and that really WILL be a nuclear war.
But our so called leaders need to pull up their boots and do something - LEAD.
Also our fucking so called leaders are only playing politics and only looking to appeasing the fucking pacifist left wingers for the next fucking election.
What is lost on these fucking idiots in DC is that the Taliban can goddamn read and see that we are caving in. So they think they're going to win. They just have to hold out a little bit fucking longer and USA will cave just like in Nam.
So yeah the analogy works to Nam.
Fuck all those DC fucks
Seems there was a LEAK on this story. Bob Woodward, anyone?
Someone on the inside playing politics?
If that report gave any comfort to the enemy, shouldn't there be a treason trial?
Yes, this is way worse than Valry Plaine having her cover blown.
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