Today's Washington Post has an article this morning stating:
"Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal says emphatically: "Failure to gain the initiative and reverse insurgent momentum in the near-term (next 12 months) -- while Afghan security capacity matures -- risks an outcome where defeating the insurgency is no longer possible.""
At the same time, Townhall.com posted an article yesterday stating:
"Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told Congress last week he expected McChrystal's request for additional forces and other resources "in the very near future."
"Other military officials had said the request would go to McChrystal's boss, Gen. David Petraeus, and up the chain of command in a matter of weeks. The White House discounted that timeline, but has remained vague about how long it would take to receive the report and act on it."
I am one of what I suspect are many people who wish George Bush were still Commander-in-Chief. The delay on this decision is costing American soldiers their lives. If President Obama doesn't want to fight the war, he should pull our troops out. To increase the troops gradually, rather than follow the recommendations of the military people who are in the country is not wise.
This is a quote from the Obama08 website:
"As President, I would deploy at least two additional brigades to Afghanistan to re-enforce our counter-terrorism operations and support NATO's efforts against the Taliban. As we step up our commitment, our European friends must do the same, and without the burdensome restrictions that have hampered NATO's efforts. We must also put more of an Afghan face on security by improving the training and equipping of the Afghan Army and Police, and including Afghan soldiers in U.S. and NATO operations.
"We must not, however, repeat the mistakes of Iraq. The solution in Afghanistan is not just military -- it is political and economic. As President, I would increase our non-military aid by $1 billion. These resources should fund projects at the local level to impact ordinary Afghans, including the development of alternative livelihoods for poppy farmers. And we must seek better performance from the Afghan government, and support that performance through tough anti-corruption safeguards on aid, and increased international support to develop the rule of law across the country.
"Above all, I will send a clear message: we will not repeat the mistake of the past, when we turned our back on Afghanistan following Soviet withdrawal. As 9/11 showed us, the security of Afghanistan and America is shared. And today, that security is most threatened by the al Qaeda and Taliban sanctuary in the tribal regions of northwest Pakistan."
President Obama was right in his statement about turning our backs on Afghanistan. We can't afford to do that again. In 2007 the movie THE KITE RUNNER depicted what happened after the Taliban took over Afghanistan after the Americans walked away after defeating the Soviets following the 1979 Soviet invasion of the country. We can't let that happen again. If the war in Afghanistan fails now, we run the risk of the Taliban freely setting up headquarters there. This is not good for us or the rest of the world. There is a war on terror, and we need to fight it. To do so timidly is to go back to a pre-911 way of thinking. We are actually fighting Iran in both Afghanistan and Iraq, but it would be very unwise to attack Iran--instead we would be wise to support the people in that country who are fighting for their freedom from the religious dictatorship currently running that country. So far President Obama has been unwilling to do that.
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