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....
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