Obama must learn from Vietnam: Gen. Wesley Clark gives the President advice for Afghanistan

NY Daily News ^ | August 17th 2009 | Wesley Clark

[neverdem]

In Vietnam it turned out there were actually extraordinary military measures that might have been decisive against the North, but we were self-deterred from taking them until it was too late. We should have gone after the North by air more heavily sooner; we should have cut off their base areas in Cambodia and Laos sooner and more effectively.

Normally, that's heresy to a rat.

We could start to buy the opium from the farmers to defund the Taliban. We could sell it at cost to countries that legitimately need morphine.

[Patrick1]

Messiah’s first mistake was sticking that idiot Holbrooke in there.

[DakotaRed]

Weasley Clark trying to sound relevant again?

[clamper1797]

FUBO and Michelle could also take a lesson or two from 1789-1799 France

[Texas Fossil]

“Weasley” Clark is an opportunistic Traitor.

And a Fraud.

[Texas Fossil]

You beat me to it.

Sorry.

[mylife]

Weasly Clark can take is power point presentation and hang it in his ***

That said, Afghanistan is becoming problematic.

[Doogle]

Clark was not well liked by many high ranking officers under his command......that's all that need be said...!

[A. Patriot]

Afghanistan: Where empires go to die.

[expatpat]

The Afghanis are very tough and persistent fighters. Just ask the Brits and the Russians, who both tried and failed. And the Russkies are sure to take their sweet revenge by arming the insurgents, as we did against them. Clark is right in saying this could be Obama’s Vietnam.

[mylife]

I am not about to give Clark any credit for clarity L0L

The situation in Afghanistan is deteriorating for sure, but I dont need a lecture from Weaselly Clark

[668 - Neighbor of the Beast]

In a new CNN/Opinion research poll, fully 54% of respondents now say they oppose the U.S.-led fight against the Taliban and their Al Qaeda allies. Those are striking numbers

Striking? It's 4 points off exactly half the respondents, and it's a CNN poll -- they couldn't cook it any better than that?

[kevao]

The situation in Afghanistan is deteriorating for sure, but I dont need a lecture from Weaselly Clark

To be fair, Clark's campaign against the Branch Davidians in Waco was one of the most brilliant feats of military prowess since Alexander the Great.

[DakotaRed]

I still wonder what it must be like to be the only Genral Officer ever fired by the only draft dodger to serve as president.

Wealsley is an apt name and not one restricted to one person’s use.

[mylife]

He’s good at whackin’ civilians and trying to start WWIII with the Russkies.

He’s good at having his picture taken in funny hats and on the cover of Gay magazines

[Texas Fossil]

Yes, I just meant that I did not see your post before I used it. He is probably described as “Weasley” more times than he is described by his own name. I’d agree that it fits him well.

[Spok]

If the ‘Bama was capable of learning anything from history, he wouldn’t be trying to stampede America into national socialism.

[Texas Fossil]

Left to Right: Hashim Thachi (KLA Leader), Bernard Kouchner (UNMIK Chief), Sir Michael Jackson (NATO Command),

Gen. Agim Ceku (Commanding KLA General), Gen. Wesley Clark (Commanding NATO General)

"Weasley" Clark in Very Bad Company

[stephenjohnbanker]

Bingo!

[Billthedrill]

Huh. I thought Keith Olbermann and Saddam Hussein would be ice-dancing in hell before I'd agree with the Weasel but there are a few good points here. First, that self-deterrence with a regard to international opinion is fatal; second, that sanctuary in Pakistan is absolutely central to any military considerations, and third, that 0bama has given the public nothing in the way of actual guidance with regard to what we're trying to accomplish there. What he has given the military is not known to us but I'm guessing it isn't very specific, i.e. "establish peace." Thanks a lot.

For the sort of half-hearted vacillation that has been every Democrat's gift to military policy the aerial assassination campaign - let's call it what it is, a contemporary Phoenix program - has been rather too successful for its own good. It allows the sort of dabbling reluctance that characterized LBJ's "escalation" policy, and if there is a lesson to be garnered from Vietnam here it is that half-measures are worse than no measures.

It may be strategically tempting to attempt to split al Qaeda from their Taliban hosts and come to a sort of modus vivendi with the latter (especially given the seeming stagnation in the Karzai government). In view of past history with respect to the Taliban and the fully-supported al Qaeda camps both in Afghanistan and now in Pakistan, the hope of long-term success along those lines is highly dubious. It affords 0bama an easy out, however. And Hillary will be whispering in his ear, "take it, and concentrate on domestic matters."

The alternative, as Clark points out, is a higher-level and more costly engagement in Pakistan, with all the complications of war in a resentful, nuclear-armed country. 0bama isn't up to it. And his team isn't up to it even if he is. Neither are they likely to be up to pulling out and taking the political consequences of the re-establishment of the Taliban that Bush threw out of Kabul. And so what they will do is toss the stinking sack back into the military's lap, hoping for a nice, low-level engagement until the next election cycle is over. And they and the media will be blaming Bush the entire time. Watch it happen.