The New York Times: Reports on the US buildup in Afghanistan, taking the lessons learnt the hard way in Iraq and transferring them to Obama's War in Afghanistan. This is recalls the LBJ build up in Vietnam after 1964, it starts small then it grows, gets to the point its becomes all consuming. Lets recall the Great Society Plan of LBJ was destroyed by Vietnam, the Obama Presidential Address to Congress had some of the ideas of the Great Society on the domestic front. Its the war President Obama wanted to fight, its his war now, Iraq was the Bush War, and we know what that cost the Republican Party. As long Pakistan and Afghanistan border is free access for the terrorists the War in Afghanistan can never be won, it will just go on for years, more troops, more deaths, lets hope the Obama National Security Team is really bright and find a way out, not holding my breath folks.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Death in Afghanistan
Sky News: Reports than a British Soldier has died of his wounds from action in Afghanistan, the Soldier was in the UK when he died. Thus today the UK Armed Forces have lost four soldiers. The total of deaths now stands at 149. How many more, before we get out of Afghanistan. There is no EXIT route out of Afghanistan, its a war we cant afford to lose and but we cant win. The Obama Administration is having a review, if they come up with any new bright ideas I will be very surprised, Afghanistan is not Iraq, a surge will not work, in less your going to place half million men in country, that would give you only 50/50 chance of winning. Afghanistan is like a Vietnam, a BITCH of a war without no end, just deaths of Western Troops.
The New Great Communicator - Obama ?
CNN News: Has President Obama as the new Liberal Reagan. If CNN really think that I have a bridge in Brooklyn I can sell them cheap. If Obama was up against Ronald Reagan in his prime, Obama would still be a Junior Senator, lets see when his polls are in the toilet, it happens to every President, lets see if he can come back and win re- election, Reagan in 84 and Clinton in 96. I wish the Elite Media would like act the media and not the Obama fan club.
Obama on Iraq and Afghanistan
The White House: Full Text of the Presidential Address to a Joint Session of Congress. The speech I found was missing a realism, on the one hand the President wants to cut the budget while on the other hand he wants to do another Great Society, at the end of day it didn't much help LBJ. The main interest for me was the section on Iraq and Afghanistan, the President stated the following, " We are now carefully reviewing our policies in both wars, and I will soon announce a way forward in Iraq that leaves Iraq to its people and responsibly ends this war.
And with our friends and allies, we will forge a new and comprehensive strategy for Afghanistan and Pakistan to defeat al Qaeda and combat extremism. Because I will not allow terrorists to plot against the American people from safe havens half a world away. " From the leaked reports it seems that the Obama Administration will leave Iraq over a nineteen month period but leaving over fifty thousand troops in country to train the Iraq Army and Police and to fight the terrorists. In Afghanistan the Obama Administration is stuck, its the War the President wanted, he wants a half way house, he has sent seventeen thousand troops in to Afghanistan but the Defence Department wanted thirty thousand troops. One can see Obama following the LBJ model when it comes to Afghanistan, more troops and more troops, with no clear plan. The West in Afghanistan faces the same problem that LBJ found in Vietnam, as long as the terrorists can get their men from Pakistan, the war will never end, if the USA goes in to Pakistan the government will fall, the West cant have a nuclear armed Pakistan in the hands of the terrorists. Thus this never ending war is Obama's War, as Iraq did to Bush 43, Afghanistan will do to President Obama.
Deaths in Afghanistan
BBC News: Reports on the death of another three British Soldiers in Afghanistan, the total now stands at 148. If the Obama Administration is going half measures over Afghanistan, the military brass wanted thirty thousand troops, the President sent seventeen, the UK should have half the level of troops we have in theatre, if the President wants to play games we should not, our troops required and need total support from our America friends, thus if they want us to have ten thousand troops in theatre then the US President should grant the full military request for thirty thousand combat troops.
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