Obama Goes AWOL on Afghanistan

Frum Forum ^ | July 20, 2010 | John R. Guardiano

[John R. Guardiano]

Most senior U.S. military leaders believe that the United States can’t lose in Afghanistan — provided our political class remains committed to a long, messy and protracted counterinsurgency campaign. But if we do lose, who’s to blame:

1. the American people, for prematurely (albeit understandably) tiring of the war;

2. the new right-wing isolationists;

3. the war itself, because it proved too hard and too difficult to win; or

4. President Obama, the Democratic Party, and the left-leaning political class, which includes the legacy media and the leftist net-roots?

There are elements of truth in all of these answers, of course. Indeed, all of these people and groups would bear some responsibility for an American defeat in Afghanistan. However, the most blameworthy and culpable, I believe, are those in choice “d”: President Obama, the Democratic Party, and the left-leaning political class.

I say this because these are the people and groups who are incessantly saying, “No we can’t!” even as the U.S. military respectfully says, “Yes we can!”

The new commanding general of U.S. Central Command, General James N. Mattis, alluded to this problem in a recent speech to the Navy League in Norfolk, Virginia. The General had recently returned from Afghanistan and, according to the Virginia Pilot, concluded that:

"the American people should not lose faith now.

“The only way we can lose this war is if we lose it in Paris and Brussels, in Berlin and Washington, if we lose it in the bars in Boston and the living rooms of Illinois. That’s where we would lose it.”

Yet, amongst the internationalist and interventionist Right — of which I am a proud, card-carrying member — there is considerable angst and alarm over what appears to be the growing influence of the new right-wing isolationists: people like

[John R. Guardiano]

Advocates of an assertive U.S. foreign policy, and victory in Afghanistan and Iraq, had better start speaking out. Otherwise the United States may lose by default a very winnable war.

[RC2]

Our country fought WWI and WWII the way a war needs to be fought. If we continue to fight with the same restrictions on our military, we could dam well lose this thing.

[patriot preacher]

Advocates of an assertive U.S. foreign policy, and victory in Afghanistan and Iraq, had better start speaking out. Otherwise the United States may lose by default a very winnable war.
____________________________

Agreed. The combination of the Obama regime and the Democrats — who have no concept of how to fight a foreign war and do not WANT to, The SO-CALLED “new right-wing isolationists,” who are neither new nor really conservative in any useful sense, and the fatigue of the long war in Afghanistan could bring great disaster. If we leave the field of battle without a victory, we leave a vacuum that our enemies WILL come in and fill, and they will rebuild, expand and be back to fight us again in the future. And when they return, they’ll come back stronger — with WMD’s — in our streets, in our cities — because WE didn’t finish the job — NOW.

[Spok]

The MSM is helping Obama hide his ongoing incompetence by practically blacking out all reporting on the war. When was the last time we were treated to a casualty ‘milestone’ or saw coffins at Dover AFB? Obama feigned a little interest in what was happening until the MSM provided him with cover.

[Sioux-san]

We no longer have an assertive foreign policy, and we are not fighting to win in Afghanistan - nation-building is not the job of our soldiers - this stinks to high heaven. Just another way to keep the troops gone so they can’t join the Patriots when the Revolution begins here.

[Bryan]

David Frum is a RINO and I can’t stand him. But on foreign policy, he’s usually right. This is one of those times.

[spokeshave]

...General adressing Afghans.....

I come to you today with tears in my eys and without artillery...

I tell you now...

if you f**k with me

I will kill you all.