Posted on 08/09/2011 7:58:23 AM PDT by mhutcheson
What a tragic loss was the downing of the helicopter in Afghanistan this week. This got me to thinking. What are we still doing in Iraq and Afghanistan? I watched nearly every day of the Iraq pre-invasion ‘debate’ in the useless, pathetic U.N. and was disgusted with what I saw and heard. After Saddam had kicked out the U.N. inspectors for the umpteenth time, I supported Bush’s military invasion, and fueled by patriotic anger over 911 I had long been a supporter of both wars. My perspective has now changed. After (twice) reading Pat Buchanan’s fine book, ‘Day of Reckoning’, I still support the initial invasion and the Shock and Awe operation, but I would have then pulled out all but the fewest necessary logistical troops in the hour of full victory, and either left the country as it was or left it with the incompetent U.N. to talk it to death. I also feel that Afghanistan operations should have been completely ended after a few months at most. Had this been done Bush most likely would have ended his second term with the popularity of Reagan. We made our points there, and in hindsight it has not been worth the blood or treasure of our country and young men and women, as valiant as they are, to sacrifice ourselves for these backward, Stone Age hell holes. I feel sympathy for the people living under their tyranny, but I feel more for my country and countrymen. We should have withdrawn back home after our initial blitzkrieg, and saved eight years of war and trillions of dollars. The point would have been made, and at much less cost to our nation. I would very much like to hear the perspective of those members of the armed forces who served in either war, especially early on, and learn whether their views on the war have evolved over time.
As soon as Bush changed the original name of the operation from “Infinite Justice” to appease the Muslims, who were (of course) offended, I knew we were in trouble.
Since Buchanan did not believe we should have fought Hitler, I will pass on his foreign policy prescriptions regarding fighting a Hitler clone.
I predicted at the time that we will have troops based in that area for the next fifty years. And they are necessary.
We still have troops in Germany and Japan 66 yrs after their defeat. Why would defeating Islamists be easier? After all they have had 1300 yrs of practice not just a decade.
I don’t mind the wars so much as the nation building crap.
How many years does this go on??
Enough is enough! No more young Americans dying. No more trillions funneled into Muslim hell holes.
Bring our troops home and leave these 12th century savages to hell.
Buchanan?
We could drill and refine enough oil in our own country to take the money we pay them that finances their soldiers and Madrasses, and leave them to fight amongst themselves.
I think it's time to pull out of the Middle East and treat any country who doesn't back up their words of support with solid actions like the enemies they are.
I have no problem pulling back large numbers of troops (and money) from Europe too. Time for NATO to carry their share.
The US is still the court of final appeal for the weak the vulnerable and the oppressed.
However, once these people prove themselves to be corrupt, ungrateful, unreasonable, duplicitous and lazy.... No more Mr. Nice Guy.
Look at these Afghan’s ... after how many years of American largess and a daily (almost hourly) demonstrated sacrifice of lives and resources.... they still are no closer to change and progress.
Time to cut them for bait with a clear conscience and NO moral compunction about the consequences. We more than tried.
Gotta fight ‘em over there so we don’t have to fight ‘em over here.
And there's the problem. Most people seem to have forgotten we were attacked, and not by just some nation-state that we could retaliate against until surrender, but by a worldwide movement with an amorphous structure that will never give up.
So "winning" is not easily defined but the threat is real, no matter how much the denyers want to pretend otherwise. It's easy with 20/20 hindsight to say Saddam presented no risk. But with our safety at stake, who was willing to bet that Saddam was not giving poison gas or nuclear material to the bad guys under the table? Hell, even our "allies," such as Pakistan, were doing that.
So packing up and going home might be the correct tactic regarding one country but what do we do about others? What about the rest of the Middle East, including our alleged allies? This isn't easy and not a job for the faint-of-heart or for the kind of population that votes for Democrats.
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