Open Left

Who wrote that nonsense?

It's circular logic: "We'll stay there because they want to kill us. And they want to kill us because we're staying there." Certainly the quickest way to lower the number of people who want to kill American soldiers would be to remove all American soldiers from the region. Has Obama hired a holdover from the Bush administration to write his speeches? As you say, he's making the mission in Af-Pak more and more mysterious.

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by: jeffbinnc @ Thu Jun 04, 2009 at 14:10:50 PM CDT

Why we're in Afghanistan

Why in Afghanistan?:

1. To capture bin Laden, who is in Pakistan. Bin laden is protected by the Taliban, who are mostly Pustun, with 40 million of them in Pakistan and 15 million in Afghanistan. Somehow  this means we must occupy Afghanistan to get him, and  extend the war to Pakistan, creating huge refugee problems, which will breed recruits for you know who. So we have to fight on, to make it harder to recruit those refugee youth. Or have we dropped the goal of getting bin Laden altogether?  Whatever, it's a good reason.l

2. To control Afghanistan by occupying the whole country with at least half a million troops and brutal means. Occupation is the only way to stop the Taliban attacks. Or is the strategy not to occupy the whole country but instead to send Special Forces into Pushtun areas after Taiban attacks, even if it means killing civilians and further inflaming the Taliban and their endless supply of disaffected young Pushtun recruits? Whatever, it's a good strategy.

3. To give the despised, ineffective and thoroughy corrupt Afghan government time to take over the whole country instead of just parts of Kabul city. Patience is a virtue, and showing the world that the US is patient is a good reason. Or whatever.

4. To show the whole world that we will persist, despite the fact that we cannot afford the expense, but national bankruptcy must not stand in the way of national honor. I think I got that right. Whatever.

5. Because Saudi Arabia is our staunch ally, and Saudi Arabia created the Taliban with their funding of extremist missionaries in Pushtun areas, just as they are now funding the takeover of US mosques by extremists. We have to show the Saudis that we do not agree with the Europeans, who want Saudi Arabia to fund much of the cost of the Afghan war since it is responsible for creating the Taliban. But we are braver than those Europeans and will not take a dime in assistance. Makes sense to me, at least when I'm drinking. Whatever.

6. to show the Muslims of the world that we care and deserve their support. There's reason no one can contest!

7. To show the nay-sayers that we can win despite their pessimism. Just as we won in Iraq despite the nay-sayers like Obama, we will win in Afghanistan because we are in the right and we have the right strategy in place. Amen!

8. We deserve to win because we are the United States of America, and don't anyone forget i!

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by: Citizen0 @ Fri Jun 05, 2009 at 09:40:24 AM CDT