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Helen Thomas: "What Are U.S. Goals In Afghanistan?" [GRAPHIC IMAGES]
TheBostonChannel.com ^ | 12 Mar 09 | Helen "Hezbollah Point of View" Thomas

Posted on 03/12/2009 1:21:37 PM PDT by seanmerc

WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama is making a big mistake in escalating U.S. troop strength in Afghanistan, where he already has acknowledged he doesn’t believe victory is possible.

We should ask: What are we doing there seven years after the 9/11 attacks by the al-Qaida network? Historically, the country has lacked a strong central government and has been governed by locally strong tribal leaders and warlords.

Al-Qaida was able to take advantage of this loose structure and turn Afghanistan into the plotting ground for the terrorists who struck the Pentagon and the World Trade Center in New York.

But what are our goals there in 2009?

While the U.S. is supposed to wind down its presence in Iraq in 19 months (rather than the 16 months promised by Obama on the campaign trail), the president has ordered a military buildup in Afghanistan to more than 50,000 troops, both from the U.S. and other NATO members.

He would leave 50,000 Americans in Iraq to cope with the resistance there. Such was the folly of President George W. Bush, who invaded Iraq after his hawkish neo-conservative advisers told him we would triumph in a few weeks.

To this day none of Bush’s reasons for attacking Iraq have held up to examination. There were no weapons of mass destruction, no Iraqi ties to al-Qaida and no threat to the United States.

There have been no apologies from Bush or his cohorts.

When Obama visited Afghanistan last summer as a presidential candidate, he joined several other senators in a get-tough statement that said: "We need a great sense of urgency because the threat from the Taliban and al-Qaida is growing and we must act. We need determination because it will take time to prevail. But with the right strategy and the resources to back it up, we will get the job done."

What exactly is the job that he says needs to get done? What is the U.S. exit strategy? Does anyone in power remember the lessons we were supposed to have learned from Vietnam?

Afghanistan is known as the "graveyard of empires" because of the repeated failure of invaders over the centuries to achieve their goals in that rugged country. U.S. prowling around in Afghanistan hasn’t aroused anti-war protests as did the March 2003 U.S. invasion and occupation of Iraq. I am puzzled about this. It seems to me we are leaping out of the frying pan into the fire!

American public aversion to our military adventures in Afghanistan has been fueled by our shock at the toll that U.S. planes and aerial drones have inflicted on Afghan civilians.

There have been indications that Obama may start diplomatic overtures to the Taliban at a time when the human and financial costs of the two wars are wearing down the U.S. as it struggles with an economic depression that has no end in sight.

According to White House press secretary Robert Gibbs, the president is evaluating the situation in Afghanistan.

Obama would do well to study the trajectory that took us into the Vietnam War and the terrible price we paid there. We lost the war and fled by helicopters from Saigon.

Both Presidents Lyndon B. Johnson and Richard M. Nixon thought that they could win in Vietnam but they were brought down as much by the American people -- who rebelled against the war -- as they were by the North Vietnamese.

Obama could go deeper in history and check out President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s career for a lesson on how to end a war.

When running for the White House in 1952, when the American public was growing frustrated about the long U.S. involvement in the Korean War, Eisenhower told voters: "I shall go to Korea."

And he did. The Korean War ended in a standoff in 1953 -- much to the relief of the American people.

Despite some ensuing skirmishes in the Demilitarized Zone between the two Koreas, a truce has endured ever since.

During the 2008 campaign, Obama indicated that he was willing to speak to all parties in the military or diplomatic disputes we were involved in. He was criticized for his plan for outreach to the militants in Afghanistan.

But there is no alternative.

Sooner or later American presidents should learn that people will always fight for their country against a foreign invader. And peace should be the only goa


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Editorial; Foreign Affairs; Government; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: agitprop; axisofevil; barackobama; bho2009; bho44; democrats; dims; dumbocrats; first100days; helenthomas; islam; liberalmeathead; obama; obamatruthfile; pravdamedia; proterrorist; rats; senileoldbat; usefulidiot
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Apparently, Helen was so beside herself that she couldn't even finish her thought.
1 posted on 03/12/2009 1:21:38 PM PDT by seanmerc
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To: seanmerc
Has anyone seen Helen Thomas and Abe Vigoda in the same place and at the same time.

I'm just saying...

2 posted on 03/12/2009 1:23:05 PM PDT by Big_Monkey
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To: seanmerc

Good Lord! thanks for the warning, but I was not prepared for that!


3 posted on 03/12/2009 1:23:36 PM PDT by j_guru
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To: seanmerc

I couldn’t done without seeing a GIANT pic of that beast right before lunch.


4 posted on 03/12/2009 1:23:39 PM PDT by Mr. Mojo
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To: seanmerc

5 posted on 03/12/2009 1:23:41 PM PDT by armymarinemom (My sons freed Iraqi and Afghan Honor Roll students.)
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To: seanmerc

Nightmares for at least a year.


6 posted on 03/12/2009 1:24:02 PM PDT by Free ThinkerNY ((((Truth to a Liberal, is like a crucifix to a vampire))))
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To: seanmerc
For 37-year old and wife, 106, every day is Valentine's Day


7 posted on 03/12/2009 1:24:48 PM PDT by a fool in paradise ("I certainly hope he (Bush) doesnÂ’t succeed" - Democratic strategist James Carville 9-11-2001)
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To: beckysueb; DirtyHarryY2K; Jet Jaguar; Lauren BaRecall; LucyT; machogirl; Melian; paulycy; ...
FReepmail me if you'd like to be added to the Helen Thomas ping list. It's the best way to keep up on the latest liberal lunacy from FR's fave newsbabe.
8 posted on 03/12/2009 1:25:28 PM PDT by seanmerc
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To: seanmerc
"To this day none of Bush’s reasons for attacking Iraq have held up to examination. "

Sure they have. The Hussein regime never honored the surrender agreement. End of story you ol'bat!

9 posted on 03/12/2009 1:25:33 PM PDT by avacado
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To: seanmerc; Revolting cat!
If Don Imus did it with one of the Easter Island heads, their kid would pro'lly look somethng like that...


10 posted on 03/12/2009 1:27:40 PM PDT by a fool in paradise ("I certainly hope he (Bush) doesnÂ’t succeed" - Democratic strategist James Carville 9-11-2001)
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To: seanmerc
AAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!


11 posted on 03/12/2009 1:28:28 PM PDT by Doomonyou (Let them eat lead.)
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To: avacado

She’s doing the same sort of reporting that Axis Sally/Mildred Gillars did throughout WWII. Only Mildred was convicted of treason when she returned to the US.


12 posted on 03/12/2009 1:28:54 PM PDT by a fool in paradise ("I certainly hope he (Bush) doesnÂ’t succeed" - Democratic strategist James Carville 9-11-2001)
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To: glock rocks; SouthTexas; tubebender; Pete-R-Bilt

Oh yooooooooo hoooooooooo boys, NEW PICTURE in #7!


13 posted on 03/12/2009 1:32:45 PM PDT by Brad’s Gramma ( PRAY! Pray for the U.S. Pray for Israel.)
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To: seanmerc
Jesus Christ in a taxi. - Virtually nothing in that swill was correct or true.
It reads like Soviet era Pravda op-ed.

Hint: We did not lose Vietnam you old b*tch.

We should ask: What are we doing there seven years after the 9/11 attacks by the al-Qaida network?

Saving ourselves.

14 posted on 03/12/2009 1:33:53 PM PDT by bill1952 (Power is an illusion created between those with power - and those without)
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To: Brad's Gramma

SWEET!


15 posted on 03/12/2009 1:34:02 PM PDT by seanmerc
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To: seanmerc

Can you imagine if Henry Waxman and Helen Thomas had had
a love child?...


16 posted on 03/12/2009 1:34:27 PM PDT by Semper Mark (Communism is Socialism with a gun to your head.)
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To: seanmerc

I wonder how many mirrors and camera’s she’s broken...


17 posted on 03/12/2009 1:35:20 PM PDT by indi_girl447 (Change...at least he didn't lie...)
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To: indi_girl447

Edit:

I wonder how many mirrors and cameras she’s broken...


18 posted on 03/12/2009 1:36:16 PM PDT by indi_girl447 (Change...at least he didn't lie...)
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To: indi_girl447

Burqa, PLEASE!!!!!!


19 posted on 03/12/2009 1:37:00 PM PDT by Hillary'sMoralVoid
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To: seanmerc

Ive heard sometimes this will work or garlic or wolf bane

20 posted on 03/12/2009 1:37:54 PM PDT by woofie
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