Last Longer than Iraq and Cost More = Afghanistan

Washington Post: Reports that US Military Experts predict that War in Afghanistan will last longer than Iraq and cost more by the end. The Liberal Leaders in Congress are not going to be happy, they want a turn around within a year, they see Afghanistan and Iraq as the mistakes of Bush 43, they don't want to spend money on Defence they want to pander to their election base. If the money is going to Iraq and Afghanistan and will increase in Afghanistan due to the US policy of Nation Building the Liberal Left wont get money for the favourite hobby horses. The incoming Chief of the Defence for the UK has been honest, he has stated that the UK will be in Afghanistan for 40 years. Yes 40 years. As stated in my recent post, that has no chance, Obama wants out of Afghanistan before his re-election bid in 2012, he does not want another Vietnam War on his hands, he does not want to be another LBJ. Thus Generals have about a year to calm Afghanistan down, keep the locals at bay, allow for the Presidential Election in August. The Chicago Fix is in for the election, the present President will win, better the devil you know, its matter of keeping Afghanistan at a low boiling point, at present its gotten very hot, the UK lost 22 Armed Forces Personnel in July, so far this August we have lost 5. The USA is also taking casualties, in July it lost 43 soldiers, this month is also starting to look bad in the war of attrition between the Western Forces and the Taliban/Terrorists. Thus Afghanistan could be the new Vietnam and Obama could be LBJ.

Richard Nixon, A kind of Great President ?

Baltimoresun.com: An article that takes a new look at Richard Nixon. It should be noted that if you read the Reagan Diaries and find that President Reagan did get advice from Nixon when it came Foreign Policy. Also if you think about it Nixon was a fighter, he came back when other politicians just faded away, the loss in 1960 to JFK, the loss of the Governor's race to Governor Brown in 1962, after his resignation in 1974 he came to be seen by most as an elder statesman, flawed but a giant of the age. Also if Bill Clinton can be Impeached and can now be sent on major foreign missions it shows that time is a great healer and those that follow you make you look good. Read of the Day.

Taliban KILLING their OWN

BBC News: Reports that the Taliban in Pakistan are fighting between themselves since the death of Baitullah Mehsud. Thus the drone strike that killed Mehsud has worked on two levels, a threat to Pakistan has been removed and the Taliban are killing themselves, saves a job for the Army of Pakistan and the Western Forces in Afghanistan. A Cheer for the CIA.

The Battle for Health Care and the Obama Presidency

Guardian: Reports on the battle for health care reform and the negative effects on the Obama Presidency. This is the battle President Obama has to win, even if at the end the reform bill is just a piece of paper with the words health care reform as the title and the rest blank. The Democrats have to careful, they might actually believe that those that oppose the reform as just paid crowds from the health lobby, but what if its real, can they afford lose the House and Senate next year. Its hard to understand the Obama play book in this case, the Obama Candidate in Iowa in 2008 has turned in to Walter Mondale of 1984, no tax he does not like. The Obama Administration has come clean, a trial balloon was sent up about raising taxes on those that earn under two hundred and fifty thousand year to pay for the Health Care Reform, at the end of the day Obama is another Mondale that got elected, a tax and spend Liberal. This is why Obama will lose Congress in 2010 and lose the Presidency in 2012.

UK 40 Years in Afghanistan = 1 Year in the US Political Cycle

BBC News: Reports on the comments by the incoming Chief of the General Staff, General Sir David Richards that the UK could be Afghanistan for forty years. It wont be 40 years it could be less that a year if Afghanistan does not start to turn around, its not the UK timetable its the Election cycle in the USA. The Liberal Left Leaders in Congress have already stated that if Afghanistan does not turn around they will cut off money to the operation, thus the Obama Administration has about a year to win or least give the appearance of winning in Afghanistan, the Liberal Left has been scared by the Vietnam War and the failure of the LBJ. Thus if by the Mid Term Congressional Elections next year in the USA, Afghanistan is still killing American troops at the rate of July and August the left will call for a pull out of Afghanistan.

Death in Afghanistan

MOD: Reports another soldier has died in combat operations in Afghanistan, the soldier was from " The 2nd Battalion The Mercian Regiment " Also the MOD has named the three soldiers from the Parachute Regiment that died last Thursday, they were " Corporal Kevin Mulligan, Lance Corporal Dale Thomas Hopkins and Private Kyle Adams " Thus in total the UK has lost 196 of its Armed Forces Personnel in Afghanistan since 2001, in that total 165 have died in combat operations and another 31 have died due to accidents, illness or other incidents. In the run up the Presidential Election at the end of August in Afghanistan the Taliban/Terrorists can expected to increase the attacks on Western Forces, also on election violence should be expected. The next few days and weeks will be tough, August could be worse than July for the UK death toll.