October 16, 200916 yr Of course, I will always wonder ... did pulling resources from Afghanistan to go to Iraq keep us from finishing the job in Afghanistan? If so, it goes a long way toward explaining the position we're in now ... and just one more mess for Obama to deal with.
October 16, 200916 yr Of course, I will always wonder ... did pulling resources from Afghanistan to go to Iraq keep us from finishing the job in Afghanistan? Probably in part, but IMO the biggest obstacle to defeating AQ is Pakistan and the fact they and India have nuclear weapons plays a large part in the equation.
October 16, 200916 yr Probably in part, but IMO the biggest obstacle to defeating AQ is Pakistan and the fact they and India have nuclear weapons plays a large part in the equation.I don't disagree, and that is part of the reason I always supported our post-9/11 action in Afghanistan. I also feel we should have concentrated our efforts there and captured bin Laden and more of his associates instead of going to Iraq and spreading ourselves too thin.
October 16, 200916 yr Of course, I will always wonder ... did pulling resources from Afghanistan to go to Iraq keep us from finishing the job in Afghanistan? If so, it goes a long way toward explaining the position we're in now ... and just one more mess for Obama to deal with. So.... It's Bush's fault Obama is sitting on his hands on this one. Gotcha. :lol:
October 17, 200916 yr Even ultra liberal Dianne Feinstein gets it: Well, what he revealed was his thinking up to this point, and that the fact that he wanted to hear from various members, and some of us spoke up. And I'll tell you what I said. I reviewed all of the intelligence and looked at the situation, and it was pretty clear to me that violence was up 100 percent, 950 attacks in August. The Taliban now controls 37 percent of the people in the areas where these people are. Attrition in police is running 67 percent, either killed or leaving the service. And the mission is in serious jeopardy. I think General McChrystal, who is one of our very best, if not the best at this, has said a counterterrorism strategy will not work. The president said to us very clearly, just as you said, George, we will not pull out. Now, if you're going to stay, you have to have a way of winning. The question is, what is that way? And I think the counterinsurgency strategy, which means protecting the people, not shooting from afar, but securing, taking, holding, and providing security for a period of time is really critical. I don't know how you put somebody in who was as crackerjack as General McChrystal, who gives the president very solid recommendations, and not take those recommendations if you're not going to pull out. If you don't want to take the recommendations, then you -- you -- you put your people in such jeopardy, just like the base in Nuristan. We lost eight of our men. We didn't have the ability to defend them, and now the base is closing, and effectively we're -- we're retreating away from it. And so I think the decision has to be made sooner, rather than later. Link Obama NEEDS to wake up and lead! Instead, IMO, he's too worried about how this will affect his image. Maybe he's afraid he won't get nominated for another Nobel. :idunno:
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