Posted on 07/03/2010 9:09:36 AM PDT by Sub-Driver
Liz Cheney joins calls for Steele to step down as leader of the RNC By Walter Alarkon - 07/03/10 10:33 AM ET
Liz Cheney joined conservative calls for Michael Steele to resign his post as Republican National Committee chairman because his remarks about the Afghanistan war.
Steele's comments "were deeply disappointing and wrong," said Cheney, daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney, in a statement Saturday.
"The chairman of the Republican Party must be unwavering in his support for American victory in the war on terror — a victory that cannot be accomplished if we do not prevail in Afghanistan," said Liz Cheney, who serves as chairwoman of Keep America Safe, a conservative foreign policy group.
Cheney said she fully endorsed a letter by Bill Kristol, another Keeping America Safe board member, that called on Steele to resign.
"It is time for Chairman Steele to step down,” she said.
Steele was caught on camera this week questioning the U.S. military involvement in Afghanistan, calling it "a war of [President] Obama's choosing" and saying that it was "not something the United States had actively prosecuted or wanted to engage in."
“If he's such a student of history,” Steele said at a fundraiser in Connecticut, “has he not understood that you know that's the one thing you don't do, is engage in a land war in Afghanistan? All right, because everyone who has tried, over a thousand years of history, has failed. And there are reasons for that. There are other ways to engage in Afghanistan.”
While Obama has taken heat from the right over his war strategy, it has largely been because he didn't immediately accept the recommendations of top generals last year to further increase the U.S. troop presence in Afghanistan. Obama later announced a troop buildup, and conservatives more recently have supported the president's decisions, particularly his move to replace Gen. Stanley McChrystal with Gen. David Petraeus.
In addition to Kristol and Cheney, RedState founder Erick Erickson has called for Steele's resignation.
Where Steele was wrong, was in his comments about Afghanistan being a war of OBAMA'S choosing! Nope, Mr. Steele, it was George W. Bush who began that action, as he should have, when it became clear that Afghanistan had been the base of operations for the 9/11 attacks.
I don't know if Mr. Steele was just trying to tie the operations in Afghanistan around Obama's neck in the event that they fail, but he sure didn't make it sound too good for Republicans, and their efforts to support the troops.
How so?
Afghanistan has been successfully invaded many times. It is common misinformation that it was not.
What are the "other ways", Chairman Steele?
Steele will be the October suprise, when he resigns in October he will claim rascism as the reason.
Agree he needs to go, but kinda agree with what he said about Afghanistan.
Well, howdedo. You are right in league with Obama and you’re both wrong.
I nominate Liz Cheney. She rocks and doesn’t hold back.
Afghanistan is not Iraq - its a wild country. I've thought from the beginning we needed to avoid a prolonged engagement there, kick ass and then promise to come back & kick ass again if they misbehaved.
Let’s ask Liz herself. Put her in charge of the committee to find another RNC Chair!
If she follows in her family’s tradition, she will end up nominating herself as the best potential candidate.
Totally worthless!
No, the true “sabateurs” are those who would support Obama’s War rather than act like a true OPPOSITION party. We can’t afford to keep policing the world. Steele was right.
****************
It is not Obama’s war, it is Bush’s war.
Genghis Khan dealt handily with this ‘invincible’ region, as he did with Moslems generally.
Steele is a liar as well as sabateur.
Ghengis Khan had no ROE.
This affirmative action asshat needs to go. Make him a commentator on CNN.
I don't disagree with you but on the other side of the coin is the fact that jihadis from all over the world come there, as a moth to the flame, to die for mohammed (may piss be upon him). Just as in Iraq, tens of thousands of "martyrs" earned their virgins and are now not causing grief somewhere else.
On the other hand "commander zero" has no intention of winning a war against his muslim brothers. If that is the case...
Afghanistan is not Iraq - its a wild country. I’ve thought from the beginning we needed to avoid a prolonged engagement there, kick ass and then promise to come back & kick ass again if they misbehaved.
___________________________________________
Exactly.
How to win in Afghanistan
1. Get rid of Karzai as he sanctions corruption.
2. Eliminate any deadline for withdrawal of troops
3. Eliminate the foolish ROE that Obama used to hamstring our troops
4. Replace the tribal mentality with a viable and sustainable representative government like the one we started in Iraq
5. Educate the populace
6. Train and equip Afghanis to hold and secure their own country
7. Develop the mineral resources of Afghanistan to replace the drug trade
8. Win over the hearts and minds of the Afghani people
9. Hold free and fair elections
10, Build and maintain a basic infrastructure
In other words, do what it takjes to nation build starting from the ground up and the grass roots.
Ghengis Khan had no ROE.
*******************
He did, but the rules were focused on utterly destroying the enemy for minimal loss.
The Mongol warmachine under Ghengis was very sophisticated in doctrine, organization, regulation and execution.
8. Win over the hearts and minds of the Afghani people
*****************
Moslems have neither.
or we could have just gone in there and nuked them back to the stoneage and then left. it wold serve as a much more effective warning to anyone else who wanted to mess with us
Steele has been a poster child for the “Peter Principle” from the first day he was appointed to this job.
Considering all that is at risk, our side requires a strong conservative and one with vision at the lead of the RNC.
Steele should have never been appointed and he should have been removed a long time ago.
I believe that Steele is a nice guy, but he’s not very bright and his convictions are mislead/misplaced.
As we approach one of the most important election cycles our country’s history, we can’t afford incompetence to threaten what looks like a strong potential for victory.
If Steele has any honor and self respect within him, he will immediately step down and shut up.
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.