The Politics of Afghanistan - USA

CNN News: Reports that the death toll of US troops in Afghanistan has hurt its support in the USA, a new CNN/ORC poll has support for the war at 39%, while those opposed at 58%. This follows the UK pattern of support, President Obama has to sell the War in Afghanistan, he has to take on his Liberal base otherwise they will pull the plug on Afghanistan, in the process of taking the USA out of Afghanistan the Liberal base would destroy the Obama Presidency. These are the kind polls that will give the Taliban/Terrorists heart, they will see this another Vietnam, that the USA will tire and leave Afghanistan. The US voter is not the Liberal base, if they see President Obama as another Jimmy Carter they will give Congress back to the Republicans in 2010 and Obama will have a heavy loss in 2012. That how important Afghanistan is to the Obama Presidency.

Obama and Afghanistan, CALL FOR MORE TROOPS AND TIME

The New York Times: Reports that the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mullen has stated that Afghanistan will need more US troops and time. The NYT writes on the effect on Democrats and Republicans, " position seconded by a top Republican but challenged by a leading Democrat. " The Obama White House has one real war on it hands in Afghanistan and a political war with health care reform, on health reform the President will get Democratic votes in the Congress, the problem for the President is that the Democrats are scared silly by Afghanistan, they see it as another Vietnam, the Democrats are still in therapy over Vietnam. The War in Vietnam destroyed the Great Society of LBJ and forced him out of office in 1968. Thus when Obama comes to request for support to send tens of thousands more troops to Afghanistan he will need Republican support. The question the Obama White Houses has to ask if they burn the Republicans on health care they Republicans can support Democrats who want out of Afghanistan. The Chicago group with Obama in the West Wing might be expert at local politics but they share a common failure for Democrats, they have no clue about Foreign Policy, they think they can burn the Republicans over health care and push it through the Senate with 51 votes but they will need the Republicans for Foreign Policy and Afghanistan. It would be ironic if Obama makes himself the next Jimmy Carter, as Carter also failed to understand Congress.

The New Forgotten War - Iraq

BBC News: Reports on the visit of US VP Biden to Iraq, while the VP was Baghdad there was terrorists strikes near the US Embassy. Iraq has become the new forgotten War in the Obama White House, the Bush 43 surge worked thus by the time President Obama took over in January of 2009, it was Afghanistan that become the hot topic in town, lets recall folks that the US as reported by icasualties.org has lost 4344 of its Armed Forces Personnel in Iraq, if you include the losses of its Allies such as the UK the total goes up to 4662. The US has withdrawn from the towns, and by next August next year the majority of US troops will be out of Iraq. The last forces of around thirty five to fifty thousand troops will leave in 2011. The next hurdle in Iraq will be the elections next year, it is important that they go off with out bloodshed or the mess of Afghanistan. The New York Times writes the following on the Biden visit and the elections next year, " intended to focus on political issues as Iraqi leaders position themselves ahead of national elections.......have increasingly colored almost every thing the government has done....." Thus all politics is local, for the Obama Administration it is essential that Iraq does not blow up like Afghanistan, if the bloodbath of the first three years after the invasion is repeated this would throw the Obama Foreign Policy off kilter. Also it is important for President Obama that the different ethnic groups take part and see Iraq as united country and do not try to split Iraq as was the original idea of then Senator Biden. If Iraq was to go up in flames like Afghanistan it would be down to Obama, Bush 43 with his surge calmed the troubles, if the US starts to lose troops again it will be down to the Obama White House. Thus the reason for the VP visit, Obama does not want to hear the call that the Democrats can add Iraq to the countries they have lost while they have been power, the loss of China in the late 40s really hurt the Democratic Party.

Afghanistan Front News

MOD: Has released the name of the soldier killed on the 13/9/00. The soldier was " Kingsman Jason Dunn-Bridgeman from 2nd Battalion The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment (2 LANCS) " Lets hope this month is more quite on the casualty front.

The Shadow of the Taliban

The Times: Reports that latest British Soldier to die in Afghanistan was in a district that was supposed to have been cleared of the Taliban, as the article notes so far the District of Babaji has been deadly to UK forces since the end of Operation Panther’s Claw, the UK has lost five soldiers with the death today. Thus the need for the UK to send more forces, the point of the new strategy by the US Military is to gain security for the local population, but if we cant secure our own forces how can can we gain security for the local population. The latest death is pure PR terms is not good for the UK, the Taliban from their twisted cowardice view of the world have had a success, and back home in the UK the Labour Government will come under more pressure to get out of Afghanistan. At the end of the day we need boots on the ground, we need keep and secure areas we take from the Taliban, it is pointless to gain ground if the West can not secure the security of the population and its own forces. It is about time that PM Gordon Brown accept that he cant not fight a war on the cheap, we are either in our out, and since it does not look like we are leaving soon, our troops and our reputation needs protection. The problem for PM Brown is that the UK economy is in the sewers, there might be green leaves in some aspects of the economy but people are still out of work, and the UK is in debt big time. Thus what ever government take over in 2010 after the General Election there will have to be cuts, but this time it cant be defence, we have a major commitment to Afghanistan, thus either Labour or Conservatives will have to find cuts in other departments, this will hurt either party. But at the end of the day to protect our troops and the honour of the UK we have to send more troops, keep them secure and give security to the people of Afghanistan.

Death in Afghanistan

MOD: Reports that another British soldier has died in Afghanistan, the soldier was from the " 2nd Battalion The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment, operating with The Light Dragoons Battle Group " Thus since 2001 the UK has lost 214 of its Armed Forces Personnel in Afghanistan, of that total, 183 have died due to combat operations, another 31 have died to illness, accidents or other incidents. On the whole September has seen a decline in the death toll for UK forces, so far only four deaths this month. Lets hope there are not more deaths, it seems that it is US forces that are taking the brunt of losses due to the Obama surge. It can be postulated that there will be more sad days for the families of Western Forces in Afghanistan.

A Deal in Afghanistan ?

Guardian: Reports on pressure from the West for President Karzai of Afghanistan and Dr Abdullah Abdullah to do a deal over the governance of Afghanistan. It can be argued that the Obama Administration needs a deal more than Karzai and Abdullah, the US this year has lost as reported by icasualties.org, 200 of its Armed Forces Personnel, and it only September folks. Thus if the political elite in Afghanistan can not come to together, the Obama Administration will have to decide what horse it wants to support. As noted in the Guardian article there can not be a new election due to weather conditions in Afghanistan are about to get worse, also whats to stop another fraudulent election. Thus the Obama White House might have to think outside the box, the West either cares about the election or it does not, is the mission to nation build Afghanistan or to get the terrorists, they are not the same thing folks. It can be argued that President Obama should allow President Karzai to have another term, but give him a warning, that Diem of South Vietnam didn't change, and his government was removed by a green light from Washington D.C. This is why Afghanistan is such a nightmare folks, no easy way to win but a lot of ways to lose.