Posted on 08/06/2017 4:58:21 AM PDT by Alas Babylon!
We love the guy that keeps our jobs, puts in the Christmas bonus and hands out the holiday turkeys
That better be Trump
I thought it was obvious. How do we define victory and how long do we want/need to be there? The war in Korea is not over. There is only a truce agreement. The South Koreans want us to be there and we believe it is in our strategic national interests to maintain a military presence that really is just a tripwire contingent, much like Berlin where I served for four years. Our military bases in Japan are critical given the growing Chinese and NK threats. We provide the nuclear umbrella for Japan and South Korea rather then having them develop their own nuclear deterrent.
We still have military bases in Europe, including in Germany and Italy because we are part of NATO and our allies want us to be there despite now a token presence unlike when we had close to half a million in Europe when I served in a NATO command in Italy in the 1960s. With the expansion of NATO and the Russians takeover of Crimea and making noises about the Baltics where there are significant Russian ethnic populations, the NATO military alliance has become more relevant, especially Article 5.
The issue is how relevant Afghanistan is to our national security. The most salient issue is a nuclear Pakistan that could be a target of the Taliban and Pak militant Muslim opposition groups. The porous border allows the Taliban to go back and forth between Afghanistan and Pakistan. There is no doubt that the Paks are helping the Taliban and that the ICI cannot be trusted.
I visited Pakistan six times, hitting Karachi, Islamabad, and Lahore multiple times. I visited our burned out Embassy in Islamabad that could have caused huge US casualties except that the fire was so intense that the invaders had to abandon the roof while the Embassy staff was holed-up in the communications vault waiting for help from the government. The carpet in the vault was literally melting under their feet. One US Marine was killed on the roof. We negotiated with the Pak government to reimburse us for the damages caused by the fire.
I consider the Pakistanis to be the most zealous Muslims on the planet. They burned down our Embassy supposedly because there was a story going around that we had taken over the Kaba in Mecca.
We are still fighting in Afghanistan. Nowhere else.
We are bombing Syria every day and have "advisors" on the ground. We have over 5,000 military personnel in Iraq. Our air support was critical to winning back Mosul. I can guarantee you that our advisors in Iraq are on the front lines helping to direct our support to the Iraqis. These are combat zones no matter how the government tries to disguise it.
Right now our goal is open-ended, like, "Until the Taliban lose". We might as well wait forever. As long as the Koran is taught in mountain Madrassas there'll always be more Taliban.
I thought our goal was to prevent Afghanistan from again becoming a sanctuary for AQ or ISIS or any other radical Islamic terrorist group. It is not a matter of the Taliban losing or being totally defeated.
To that end, I'm no longer sure we can win at all. And I am a war-hawk. I think Trump is seeing it similarly. So bring some meat to the table. What do YOU recommend, given your long foreign service career?
I don't have any easy answers and I don't have any intelligence sources to tell me how things are going on the ground. I do know that in recent days the Taliban have been attacking our convoys and setting off suicide bombs directed against our people. This reminds me of the Tet Offensive tactics geared to public opinion and weakening our resolve. The Taliban know that we are at a critical juncture where some decisions must be made by us as to our commitment in Afghanistan.
I would not send the enemy any signals that we are leaving completely. 10 Americans have been killed in Afghanistan this year to date compared to 14 in 2016. It is important to remember that the whole world is watching what we do, especially our enemies like the Iranians and also our allies in the region. Any perception of an American defeat will not bode well in the future. It could embolden our enemies.
I could write a 1000 songs of 2 faced men, They say my home is gone, but that is where my heart belongs...
Follow your heart folks
Obama was a fool and a traitor to abandon Iraq
Kvetching about Johnny Kasich, Who after all is a Republican, are we allowed to vote for anyone other than a Republican, will not the country go to Hell if we do not vote for a Republican?
Every year, every election on this site, that is all you hear.
Oh, and let us add, No voting for anyone who had or has anything to do with Goldman Sacks, Unless of course that Republican is the Donald
I know roughneck guys guys that like roaming the countryside that would not leave camp in Afghanistan unless on a mission armed to the teeth.
We had Iraq sewn up, the fighting was done all we had to do was pop a squat.
No, Obama squandered it and pissed on the fallen, then he set up a beach head in N Africa to invade the west, Then he gave the Persians ransom money
Iraq, Venezuela and NK been playing footsie for years
*SPIT*
JMHO
VIDEO: Radical Islamic terrorists open fire on US military jet & get annihilated seconds later.#SundayMorning #AllahuAkbar pic.twitter.com/G48Hq5my5k— #ThePersistence (@ScottPresler) August 6, 2017
Came up on the radar?
Damn that’s annoying.
Nothing like a good laugh on a quiet Sunday evening...thanks!
The mission of keeping AQ/ISIS/Taliban should be the mission of the Afghani army. (I'm not sure we should make much of a distinction between AQ/ISIS/Taliban. They're all dedicated to a triumphant Islam; it's like the comparing the Wermacht versus the Waffen SS. Both dedicated to Nazism. )
Now, have you heard about the recent row between China and India? China mulling 'small scale military ops' against India: Expert What if Pakistan joins China?
All Hail Threedonia!
LOL I hate Jim Carrey but always like the quirk at 3 donia
Its been a border skirmish for ages. Sad I missed the window to ride British royal enfield bikes up to Kardung La, Lah Dak and Tibet
Andhra Pradesh is Indian Lands
Bhutan is not China Or India for that matter
No, that would be a very dangerous thing to do. Pakistan has nuclear weapons and a sizeable military. It is a nation of 200 million. Going to war with Pakistan will not accomplish our objectives. We need to convince Pakistan that it is in their interest to secure their borders and to turn off support to the Taliban.
What a coincidence!
Not!!!
Than it occurred to me,he was CIA and they were tipping him off every time they did a hit to look like they really were taking out isis. Truth is they just expanded exponentially all over the Mid East and North Africa.
Just to good Jane!!Problem is they still dont get it! We are going to need a lot of ammo!!
No way Baghdadi escapes all those times. He’s CIA and they have been supporting ISIS since it started.
That part of the world is Muslim. Pakistan until recently was part of England's failed Red Dot India experiment. The Muslims are a local Tribal system of governance. They tend to fight each.
If the U.S. could find a way for Pakistan to invade Afghanistan everyone including the Red Dot Indians would be happy
We all know him Hillary and Kerry set us up
I was in Libya in the 80s
The invasion is ongoing as is the resistance,
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