Well, yet another diary decrying what we are doing in Afghanistan....sigh
Hey, here's something from Jackson Diehl, Deputy Editorial Page Editor of WaPo.
Obama and Romney are ignoring the Afghanistan war
Here’s some news that both Barack Obama and Mitt Romney would like you to ignore: Tens of thousands of American soldiers are at war this summer in Afghanistan.
More
Contrary to Obama’s campaign rhetoric, the “tide of war” in Afghanistan is not “receding.” The number of insurgent attacks for the three months ending June 30 was up 11 percent over last year; in June, when 39 coalition troops died, there was an average of 110 attacks per day. Though both troop and civilian casualties are down compared to 2011, the summer fighting season is showing that, far from being defeated, the Taliban may be gaining some momentum.
Yet this may be the first presidential campaign in U.S. history in which an ongoing war fails to produce a significant debate. Explicitly or implicitly, the candidates have successfully encouraged much of the media to accept the following conventional wisdom: The war is a failure but is winding down; U.S. combat troops will be out by the end of 2014; and Obama and Romney agree on the strategy.
Choices:
1. "Whether reelected or not, Obama will have to consider his commanders’ recommendations on the pace of the next U.S. troop drawdown."
2. "The next big presidential decision (regardless of whose in office) may come sometime during 2013: how many and what quality of U.S. forces to leave in Afghanistan after 2014."
3. "There will be more critical decisions: whether to fully fund Afghan security forces after 2014, and for how long; "
4. "Perhaps most critically, the president must choose whether finally to strike against the Taliban’s enclaves in Pakistan or to allow them to remain while most Western troops pull out. "
No doubt Obama and Romney would find it both uncomfortable and politically unprofitable to address these questions between now and November. This is why they would like you to forget that America is at war.
God forbid we should be uncomfortable with an ongoing war with no purpose and no end in sight...(I hear you...but do you think naming Afghanistan a "strategic" ally has no future consequences post 2014?, Well?)
Please do keep obsessing about dogs, horses, taxes, faux diaries, etc. Based on previous responses to posts like this (by myself and other diarists), that is what drives the community and outrage.
We need to leave. Get out Now. And let these people do whatever they will..
No more American blood...
UPDATE:
Afghanistan Parliament Votes To Remove Defense Minister, Interior Minister
KABUL, Afghanistan — The Afghan parliament voted Saturday to dismiss the country's defense and interior ministers, a move that threatens to throw the country's security apparatus into confusion as foreign forces withdraw.
The vote demanded the dismissal of two of President Hamid Karzai's key security lieutenants: Defense Minister Abdul Rahim Wardak, one of the top Afghan officials most trusted by Washington, and Interior Minister Bismullah Khan Mohammadi.
The votes of no confidence come at a critical time in the war, when Afghan police and soldiers are increasingly taking over responsibility from departing international troops, who are scheduled to leave Afghanistan or move into support roles by the end of 2014.
Our "allies' just doing that "ally' thing...