Posted on 10/26/2009 11:53:57 PM PDT by The Magical Mischief Tour
WASHINGTON -- A former Marine who fought in Iraq, joined the State Department after leaving the military and was a diplomat in a Taliban stronghold in Afghanistan has become the first U.S. official to resign in protest of the Afghan war, the Washington Post reported early Tuesday.
Matthew Hoh, who describes himself as "not some peacenik, pot-smoking hippie who wants everyone to be in love," said he believes the war is simply fueling the insurgency.
"I have lost understanding of and confidence in the strategic purposes of the United States' presence in Afghanistan," Hoh wrote in his resignation letter, dated Sept. 10 but published early Tuesday. "I have doubts and reservations about our current strategy and planned future strategy, but my resignation is based not upon how we are pursuing this war, but why and to what end."
The move sent ripples all the way to the White House, the paper said, where officials immediately appealed for him to stay out of fear he could become a leading critic.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
Sounds almost like the anti-war leftists are going to have the tables turned on them! What are they going to do? Support the war? haha
....getting too many questions about WTF is going on?..your suggestions go against Odumbo get stuffed back in your face, Mr Hoh?
Far be it from me to try to explain this man’s reasons.
For me the reason would be that I did not feel that the CIC was willing to support the war effort, and I simply couldn’t be a part of seeing the troops sold out for political purposes.
Either we’re in it to win, or I’m out. Period.
Can the soldiers resign?
The first but certainly not the last.
An Officer can resign after they meet their military service obligation...however, the military doesn’t have to accept the resignation...at that time.
they = he
You should ask someone who really knows the ins and outs. I think you’re required to fulfill a determined agreed to obligation based on time. If you re-up, you’re probably required to serve for two years or some other agreed to set amount of time.
If they don’t need you, you could probably arrange to be discharged by choice when back in the states.
This guy was ex-military, a diplomat. He can step down any time he chooses.
Darn terrorists and Taliban won’t come to the peace table and negotiate in good faith so he resigns in protest citing American policy as the reason.
With an idiot like that negotiating it is no wonder things were getting worse. The Taliban can smell a pushover even if said pushover is covered in camel dung.
Either we’re in it to win, or I’m out. Period.
~~~
I agree,,,
We’ll see if the MSM will pick this up and run with it,,,
If these brain dead morons in A-Stan and Iraq can’t stand
up and man-up and Kill the bad guys after all these years
it’s time to leave,,,Burn It!!!,,,Sore spot here,,,
My house-mate’s son is back in Kuwait on his 3rd.tour with
the 2nd.BCT.10th.Mtn.Div.,,,
28 months in combat so far,,,
From what he told me after his last tour they’re
Same,Same ARVN...
I don’t think we’ve put the effort into Afghanistan that we did in Iraq. The populace isn’t convinced we’ll stick it out, so they’re reticent to stick their necks out.
If we do surge, I believe the area can be stabilized and the citizens lives improved.
If we surge fine. If we’re not going to, get out.
If we do though, Iraq will take the brunt of it. Afghanistan will fall and Iraq will be next.
I think it is imperative we clean up Afghanistan. Otherwise we’ll eventually pay for not having done so.
"I have lost understanding of and confidence in the strategic purposes of the United States' presence in Afghanistan," Hoh wrote in his resignation letter, dated Sept. 10 but published early Tuesday. "I have doubts and reservations about our current strategy and planned future strategy, but my resignation is based not upon how we are pursuing this war, but why and to what end."
(snip)
Holbrooke told the Post he disagreed that the war "wasn't worth the fight," but did agree with much of Hoh's analysis.
The trashing, bashing and demonizing of Mr. Hoh starts any minute. 5-4-3-2-1 ... here comes Rahm and Davey boy. ACORN and zero’s union thugs will probably have this guy’s house dismantled and his wife and kids seeking a safe house by noon.
Don’t let the door hit you in the ass buddy.
Really? Have you considered the possibility that such things as ROEs and other policies fly in the face of the claimed strategy?
Perhaps the lack of a well-articulated policy and strategy or having such backed up with actions, not just words, is the reason he quit. And maybe he had reason to believe he was being set up to be the fall guy - thrown under the bus by zero and his thugs when it all hits the fan there, which it has to do unless we change course.
If his boss, zero, isn’t in it to win and he (Hoh) recognizes that, why stick around for the blood bath, literally and politically?
I disagree. I think it’s clear that his upset is with the administration’s lack of purpose and strategy. I think he’s saying, in essence, “It’s clear Obama doesn’t think this job is worth doing well, so what am I doing here?” In other words, zero won’t prosecute the war, so why are we there? Poop or get off the pot, so to speak. Also, he may be looking down the road at zero placing the blame for our losses there on people like him. Zero always blames someone else. Look how he’s throwing Deeds under the bus.....with that having become a very over-crowded space in just nine months.
The man was a Marine. There are no EX Marines.
Zero and the rats don’t want to spend anymore money on the war. They’re about to hit the debt ceiling. Moreover, zero is tanking in the polls. He needs to shore up his base. The biggest statement he can make to accomplish that is to bail on the Middle-east effort. The lefties don’t care if every rebel Afghan and Iraqi are boiled in oil. Just stop the war and keep the money here at home to buy votes and build the Marxist power base. They’ve probably already started picking out fall guys and they’re going to need a lot of them when Afghanistan and then Iraq become overrun with terrorists. The sooner they do this, the better off they will be because blaming it on Bush and others is more plausible sooner than it is later.
Why you insist on reading more into his words that his own words?
“but my resignation is based not upon how we are pursuing this war, but why and to what end.”
Sounds to me like he went “native”....it happens...
Had a GITMO guard do the same thing....
“Can the soldiers resign?”
Nope. I wouldn’t advise anyone to sign up right now.
Good point,,,
The fact remains that if the locals won’t man-up and fight
for their own country we are just wasting lives and $$$$$$.
In the 60’s it was 8 weeks BCT and 8 weeks AIT and the guys
went to the ‘Nam and whupped ass,,,
Ya’ just gotta wanna do it for your country,,,
The moozzi may never understand this,,,
ARVN didn’t either...
“There are no EX Marines.”
Murtha?
I agree with this Marine.
"Victory" has not been satisfactorily defined. What the effort in Afghanistan LOOKS LIKE is a chaotic attempt by a handcuffed US military to fight a guerrilla war in a stone-age cesspool of a place whose only claim to fame is that it's a major heroin supplier to the world. Great.
The way the article reads it implies that Hoh is resigning because U.S. policy is fueling the “insurgency” through our presence. His issue is more with the war rather than with strategy or the lack of real policy from the current Administration.
If the article has misconstrued his position and opinions (which is possible), then I apologize for being too harsh.
For sake of discussion he was not in active service.
Say what you will, I don’t consider Jack Murtha to be a Marine. I suspect there are a good many Marines who look on that the same way I do.
These are the same comments made about Iraq. The Iraqis did man up once they knew we weren’t going to cut and run. I can’t blame the locals for not wanting to commit until they know our fickle moon-doggie is serious.
If we surge in Afghanistan, we have a very good chance of getting it under control and handing off later to the nation’s own forces.
I don’t disagree with your premises based on Vietnam. Our troops did a great job there, but he leadership was full of it.
We need to avoid that mistake here. I believe we’re both convinced it’s all in our we pull out.
At any rate, nice talking to you. Take care.
(spits on the ground)...;0)
Your response is a good one that is backed up by freelance correspondent and former soldier Michael Yon (go to his website http://www.michaelyon-online.com for the article Adopt-a-stan). Counter-Morter’s (shouldn’t that be ‘mortar’?) point is unfortunately typically ‘western’ with a view of conflict as short and to-the-point. COIN strategies in The Philippines (early 20th Century), Malaya (late Forties) and parts of Vietnam and Laos did actually work but took years.
One of the problems is the view of time. By showing commitment over the long haul, the US and its allies can win over reticent civilian populations. As you point out, repeating the mistake of Vietnam will visit some serious problems upon our homeland because we will be seen as weak. The terrorists are already in the US; although we’re doing a reasonable job interrupting their actions, they’re easier to eliminate in South Asia than through the US court system.
I have written Murtha repeatedly demanding that he return his uniform and any commendations he received. IMHO, he is no longer qualified to wear either.
Also for the sake of discussion, once you earn the title of United States Marine, you wear it forever and guard it jealously.
as I have already responded this morning to another poster, I have written to Murtha asking that he return his uniform and any commendations as he is no longer qualified to display either IMHO.
to call Murtha an Ex Marine would not be correct as there are no ex Marines, only former Marines.
If I have to explain it to you, you are never going to understand.
The article says he is a former Marine. I take that to mean he either retired or got out. Either way, he’s now a civilian and can resign.
Sure would help if they (the Obamites) figured out what the mission was over there
But I know, don’t rush him. He’s got more important things to work on: destroy Fox news, go golfing, take Michelle (ma Belle) out, and so on. He’ll get to it eventually.
Counter-Morter’s (shouldn’t that be ‘mortar’?) point is unfortunately typically ‘western’ with a view of conflict as short and to-the-point.
~~~
The dumb ass ol’sonofabitch can’t spell so good,,,
Quit skrool and joined the Army at 17yo,,,
‘Nam 67-68,,,8/26 Arty.,,,IFFV,,,
Which war were you in?...
ROEs and other policies fly in the face of the claimed strategy
that’s it in a nutshell, the way I see it.....although the many red herrings get overplay sufficient to drown this crux out.....the well-intended support for the troops and mission is a bit misguided IMO without examining the above
Oceania has always been at war with Eastasia.
“I have doubts and reservations about our current strategy and planned future strategy”
There is no strategy. Obama has yet to publish a strategy for Afghanistan. Obama has yet to publish the National Security Strategy for the United States.
He has no clue.
“.....he could become a leading critic.”
___________________________________________________________
In other words, he would act like a democrat during the Bush presidency. Actually, the dems were misleading critics.
1/26th Inf, 1st Inf Div July67-68
He joined the State Department after LEAVING the military.
Of course, just mention to anyone in Washington (Rat -or- GOP) the fact that the ideology driving our enemies in Afghanistan was born in Saudi Arabia and has been financed by the Saudis for half a century, and you’ll get a good long chance to study the mating calls of the crickets in your vicinity.
bookmark
The Marine stepped down as wasting his fellow Marines in a combat theater doesn't set well.
Bascially now in Afghanistan, our troops are told to sit and be quite as to wait and be fired upon.
The ROE's were changed as soon as Zero sorta took the oath.
Up to that election, our troops in Afghanistan were greasin' some butts.
Notice the White House concerns....
They are more worried that he will become a White House CRITIC of Obama, than they are about the War.
Says everything about these clowns, doesn’t it?
Welcome Home,Brother,,,
Bong Son,,,?
Sat Cong!!!...;0)
They are going to spin this like a top.
I hope this man is given a chance to speak out publicly to clarify the things he wrote in his letter of resignation. I cannot think that it will bode well for the ditherer in chief.
This man seems to have been an outstanding officer. Evidently, as a diplomat, he saw and heard things that alarmed him greatly. I would like to hear what he has to say.
Until then, every American life that is lost is another nail in McChrystal’s coffin with his misguided ROE, and obama needs to be removed from any office where he can control this nation’s military. Leavenworth works for me.
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