Posted on 03/27/2009 6:31:24 AM PDT by Nutmeg08
Time running out on Afghanistan, US fears
White House concerned it only has a year to turn around Afghanistan and Pakistan before US public support wanes
* Simon Tisdall and Ewen MacAskill * guardian.co.uk, Thursday 26 March 2009 20.17 GMT
A US counter-intelligence Marine and his translator meet with local villagers in Kirta, Afghanistan
A US counter-intelligence marine and his translator meet with local villagers in Kirta, Afghanistan Photograph: John Moore/Getty Images
The Obama administration believes it has only a small window of opportunity, possibly just a year, to turn around the situation in Afghanistan and Pakistan before US public support begins to erode, diplomatic and military officials say.
President Barack Obama briefed members of Congress yesterday before the unveiling of his new policy on Afghanistan and Pakistan today.
Among the proposals is a plan to send 4,000 more US troops to Afghanistan - in addition to the 17,000 combat troops he ordered last month - to train the Afghan army. Instead of creating a national army, they will focus instead on the more modest goal of trying to turn ragtag militia groups into forces capable of providing protection against the Taliban and al-Qaida.
More emphasis is to be given to civilian projects, with the US to double its civilian contingent in the country to 900 to provide help with agriculture projects, small businesses and setting up a rudimentary judicial service.
An official said yesterday that Obama's planners thought they had about 12 months to show measurable progress in Afghanistan before public support would wane and the policy turn into a Democratic-Republican political issue.
The planners fear the war could become an election issue as the mid-term Congressional elections in November next year draw near, and that Congress might be reluctant to fund the strategy.
(Excerpt) Read more at guardian.co.uk ...
Obama’s plans are to be drawing down by the Congressional elections in 2010, and to be out of Afghanistan totally by the beginning of the primary cycle in 2012. That is a reckless timetable. Also, Obama is not sending in enough troops to do the job properly, instead relying on the State Department to do the work.
Obama can’t give our troops money, he has to build his “civilian defenses” and fund them at the same level as our military.
I noticed that Obama was really dragging on the Afghanistan speech, as compared to the Holder speech.
_____________________________________
I think that sub-rosa rapproachment with Iran is part of his agenda.
He said that he would focus on the SE sector, Baluchistan. Iran has been fighting baluchs with little success for over a decade. I see his focus away from Tora Bora and away from the NW frontier area and toward the area that benefits Iran as indicative of motive.
Is it a slaughter if nobody ever hears about it?
Do you realize it’s $1.5 BILLION a YEAR for 5 years???
Ack! Give it to the boots on the ground, not the corrupted people in Afghanistan and Pakistan—the money will go straight for terrorist activities, just like all that ‘good will aid billions’ that goes to the Palestinians!!
The difference with bush is he knew it was unpopular and did it anyways.
Yeah, I hear you. But it’s so hard to resist.
“Obama’s quagmire - “ has a ring to it doesn’t it?
Good point. The media is soooooooo gone. I think they want tyranny or anarchy to get ratings. I want a safe, free republic to live in, like we once had.
I’m praying but I can’t speak for the radical who has taken over the airwaves and youtube.
I agree. You make an interesting point about his focusing on Baluchistan.
OBL is already dead - O will gain no political advantage with this tactic.
Abu Musab Al Zarqawi was in Iraq at least 12 months before the ground invasion began, and was in the process of setting up training camps (which was known by Saddam) before the Iraq war started (or, rather, resumed). The Bush Admin did not need a way to draw then into Iraq; they were already there and growing.
Google ‘iran, drugs, heroin, baluchistan’ for hours of reading.
I don’t see the problem in stepping up operations in Afghanistan. Why is everyone so opposed to this? The surge helped us finally get a handle of things on Iraq so why not Afghanistan?
That said, favoring militia bands over a national army doesn’t exactly sound like a good idea. Not in a country controled by warlords vying for their own interests...
...”However he is not above gambling the lives of American military in the vain hope of salvaging his presidency by capturing and/or killing Osama Bin Laden. This, the papers will proclaim, is something GWB didn’t do.”...
I recommend the book “Kill Bin Laden” by Dalton Fury, who had overall command of operations involving SFOD-D in the battle at Tora Bora in December 2001, when the US had bin Laden in Delta’s sights. Despite the heroic efforts of Fury’s men, with a few British SBS commandos, politics changed the outcome from one of huge success (bin Laden dead) to a cluster-fuc*. For inexplicable reasons, GWB decided US forces must work with Afghan “forces”, who evidently let bin Laden escape. Imagine how much worse it could have been with a democrat in charge. I fear Obama would willingly sacrifice an entire squadron of operators in exchange for the political payoff of getting bin Laden.
I am quite sure that the people of Afghanistan will realize that the Messiah has taken a personal interest in their fate. They will follow him in any direction he tells them they need to go. After all they need change over there as bad as we do here.
I’m sure Obama knows the history of Afghan conflicts and the risk to ground troops. Afghanistan is just one huge sniper shooting gallery. Which is why they use Predator drones so much. He also knows that the military is mosly comprised of white anglo-patriot strict constitutionalist nationalists that he would like to eliminate.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.