Posted on 06/24/2011 6:29:58 AM PDT by Lakeshark
As people have said, from the very beginning the Taliban has been visiting villages in Afghanistan saying, "The Americans will leave eventually. The foreigners always leave eventually. But we will stay. And we will remmeber where your loyalty lies. So, be friends with the Taliban and not the Americans, or you will pay a price when the Americans leave."
Now we are leaving. Any guesses as to how much support the Afghan villages will be giving us overt the next coupel of years? The situation there is likely to go downhill rapidly. In part because we have fewer troops, and in part because our friends are scared and in part because our enemies are emboldened.
You asked the question I was going to ask. What is our mission?
With Bush it was fight and kill terrorists there instead of here. And something about winning hearts and minds.
I really don’t think it’s worth shedding any more American blood over there, especially considering what’s going at home. They’re fighting for our freedom (I guess) while we’re losing it hand over fist here.
When the "leaders" dictate policy based solely on their own selfish political ambitions, for the individual soldier the mission becomes just surviving until his tour is over.
Remember this.....
http://blog.heritage.org/2010/09/22/obama-tells-woodward-we-can-absorb-another-terrorist-attack/
I often wondered why Bush didn't do that. Warn the local population, then put landmines at every possible crossing point between Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Obama's surge did nothing other than get many more of our guys killed. Our military contains the best this nation has to offer - I don't want to see them bled white. They are needed here.
But there has to be a way to extricate ourselves that makes their sacrifice worthwhile.
Well-said.
Now that U.S. prestige is coupled to Afghanistan, U.S. casualties there have soared and Afghanistan is no longer helping to advance his own personal political ambitions, Obama is rushing to get the troops out in time for the Presidential election even if it means throwing away the victory that those U.S. servicemembers died to achieve.
Obama does not think in geopolitical strategic terms or in terms of winning wars. Obama is nothing but a politically driven butcher that cynically asks young men and women to die so that they can be sacrificial pawns that advance his personal political ambitions.
I cannot imagine what it must be to go out on patrol in Afghanistan knowing that your life is being risked for no higher purpose than to advance the personal political ambitions of Barack Obama.
Your post is 100% correct. And it's not like any of this should be a surprise to our political leaders. After all, it's almost an exact replay of Vietnam.
Right on all points. What is the mission? I didn’t listen to Obama’s speech. Perhaps he set out the mission?
The doves in America said, "Don't be silly. There will be no bloodbath. The communists aren't like that!"
Well, we left.
They called the aftermath "The Killing Fields".
I’d look for the Taliban to wait until after the 2012 elections to make their final move on Kabul. By that point, the U.S. troops will be mostly gone, and — God forbid — if 0bama is reelected, will face no repercussions from the U.S. Karzai’s “government” will collapse at the first sign of a direct threat.
Which will be disastrous for our cause, as the Afghans will align with whom they think is the ultimate winner.
If you find out please let me know. Also worthy of note is the increase of violence in Iraq. I am wondering what lasting good our involvement in Iraq did? Seems to me all we did is make Iran stronger.
“They called the aftermath “The Killing Fields”.
And we didn’t hear a peep from the American leftists. Nothing. I believe they approved of the butchery. We need to remember that 70 years ago, American leftists were standing on streetcorners screaming “Seig Heil!”
Yep. The two most powerful enemies of radical islam were the Shah of Iran and Saddam Hussein.
Carter knocked off the first one, Bush II knocked off the second one.
The radical islamists could not have hoped for a better outcome.
The middle east, before the Bushes, was mostly ruled by secularists; Iraq, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan. All are now ruled by Islamists as is most of North Africa. The warm done by the neo-cons Bushes might very well prove fatal to Western Europe. History will not be kind to either of the Bushes.
I agree with you 100%. My son is a Marine, deployed to Helmand in December 2010, came home in a broken body from an IED the first of May. He will have a long, slow, painful recovery. Hopefully he will walk again. Others with him were not so lucky.
Nothing in the news about these things either.
I met no one at Bethesda who thinks this is worth it. He tells me that the Afghannies hate us, don’t appreciate us, use us, and try to kill us. “Us” being the military personnel.
And we have a “commander in chief” that doesn’t give a sh!t.
harm not warm
The real question is, will we beat a quick retreat and save lives or will we drag this out, killing and maiming more troops for no reason.
If we are not all in, to break things and kill people, bring them home. Squandering the lives of good men and women is a travesty. obama seems to think he can just print more soldiers like he does money.
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