Different local factions tell us what we want to hear in exchange for money, which they use for corrupt enterprises. Worse, tribal factions use our firepower to settle old scores and punish one another. This could be counted as just a cost of war if we were actually getting somewhere and we were bringing the societies, military, police and political establish along with us, but we are not. Karzai is corrupt and so is everyone else beneath him.
A Conservative, Patriotic Veteran Says it's Time to Leave
Bing West is no milquetoast NY Times thumb sucking pacifist. He is a USMC combat veteran and Reagan cabinet member. Just as it took anti-communist Nixon to “go to China,” it will take a brave warrior to lead the charge in abandoning Afghanistan and leaving the people to their own devices.
Tactical Excellence, Strategic Stupidity
I like this characterization:
Bing West argues that hazy objectives, bad political assumptions and a long strategic muddle have burned away whatever structure of success American grunts have built on the battlefield. In this telling, tactical excellence and the considerable courage of frontline troops are forever being rendered nugatory by failed leadership. WaPo – The Wrong WarWest gets to the heart of the matter:
Endlessly engaged in euphemism and rhetorical triangulation, American generals and politicians insist on a story in which war isn't war, and doesn't center on killing. Official doctrine instead declares that professional warriors are engaged in a nation-building strategy "to serve and secure the population," a focus that West argues has "transformed the military into a giant Peace Corps."Kathryn Jean Lopez published her interview with West, and it was a doozy. The 70 year old spent time embedded at the squad level in Afghanistan and speaks candidly about what he saw. Here's my favorite quote:
"I’m not impressed with Admiral Mullen, as the chairman of the Joint Chiefs, repeatedly claiming that the war won’t be won by killing or capturing the enemy. Really? Then why send 100,000 soldiers with rifles into Afghanistan?" (NRO-Kathryn Jean Lopez)
13 comments:
Whatever mission we had in Afghanistan, we appear to have lost vision of that mission as we continue the longest war in our nation's history. **sigh**
BTW, my USMC cousin was just deployed to Afghanistan. **sigh again**
I thought we went over there to inflict a righteous retribution manifested by an appropriate agent (us) for the WTC. It's been almost a decade and we still haven't caught or killed the bastard responsible for it. Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to interject facts into this discussion. Oh well, off you go. Got some nation building to do.
SF, If these is one thing that I have learned as a blogger, and that is to Beware of Liberal posters in Sheep's clothing.
A lot of conservatives have had it with the war in Afghanistan. Even some mainstream GOP hawks and neocons turned on the war, albeit all too conveniently, when Obama took office and shifted the focus there, some shameless declaring it "Obama's War," as if he was to blame for the mismanagement of it up to that time.
Most Americans favored the war from the beginning but have now tired of it. Karzai is nothing more than the Crooked King of Kabul. Heroine is now the only viable crop for the peasants. The Taliban are still running around making trouble. Al Qaeda is not even there anymore.
We really should just get out now. We aren't accomplishing anything that will last.
Let Afghanistans neighbors deal with them.
JMJ
Mal: OD is an old AF buddy. We were deployed together in South America. He's definitely no liberal.
Looks like I am too "liberal" for him on this issue.
OD: Yes, we should have inflicted righteous retribution, but instead we got bogged down in nation building. It's not working.
Tactical excellence ruined by failed political leadership is an apt description.
JMJ - I agree. And let Libya's neighbors deal with Libya and her despot as well..
Les, we don't have 70,000 boots on the ground in Libya and no one is talking about that possibility. Obama has made it very clear on Libya: either it's truly a coalition effort, or we're going to back out.
Still, I understand you're position and respect it. It's consistent and understandable.
JMJ
"Tactical excellence ruined by failed political leadership is an apt description."
Perfectly stated, Silver.
JMJ
Ah, but if only we had truly been over there to inflict righteous retribution.
The only reason we all went giddily along with George W.'s invasion was because we wanted 9/11 retaliation and we were naive enough to believe he'd open a can o' whoop ass on 'em.
But we really only went over there in a vain attempt to stabilize the region sufficiently so that we could continue to be their consumers.
If even for no other reason than to spite those bastards, we need to funnel every dime possible into every alternative fuel option that's even vaguely viable. Hell, I'll run my car on goose livers if it means I don't hafta keep lining the pockets of half of the occupants of Arabia - and the U.S. fatcats who're in bed with 'em!
Malcontent I'll have you know I'm a card carrying member of the RNC. (Yes, I really do have a card) I was active duty when 9/11 hit. I spent time in the sandbox living the life of Reilly in tents for months at a time thank you. Oh hell yeah I was all for going over there and taking care of Al Qaeda, but somewhere along the way we got sidetracked. Still are! They're still running amok in all those ghanistans. People, let's clean up one mess before we bog down in another. Lord where's another Reagan when we need them?
Nation building in Afghanistan is just a waste of blood and treasure, you're dealing with barbaric 7th century savages who mostly want to live like their child-raping, Jew-hating prophet. If you really want to win in Afghanistan or any muslim country you have to annihilate their religion, destroy their faith and convert them to Christianity.
Otherwise whatever victory you gain will eventually be overrun by islam and the place will revert to yet another muslim toilet.
People think you need to 'win' in Afghanistan, no you don't, no one has ever won Afghanistan because it's just a useless toilet not worth winning. All you need to do is keep it from becoming a safe-haven for muslim terrorists.
MK: You said it better than I ever could.
Wolf: Of course we had plans to invade Afghanistan and Iraq. We also had such plans for many other countries. It's called contingency planning, and the US Military does it constantly.
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