Time to Decide Mr President - Afghanistan

The Washington Post: Reports that the Obama West Wing wants to change the military strategy from Afghanistan to Pakistan. In essence no more troops for Afghanistan, they want to sell out Afghanistan as they have sold out Poland and the Czech Republic. This is why Democrats are never trusted on national security issues, if Obama follows this route he is throwing Afghanistan to the dogs, in other words the Taliban. The idea that you can deal with Pakistan at the exclusion of Afghanistan shows no understanding of counterinsurgency, if you sell out Afghanistan then who in the region is going to trust an Obama Administration. What of the costs in lives and treasure that Afghanistan has cost so far, was it pointless, is the Just War that Obama wanted to fight no longer a Just War. I must admit a line from Lady Thatcher comes to mind, after Iraq invaded Kuwait, Lady Thatcher told Bush 41 not to wobble. It seems that the political operators in the Obama West Wing are in different stages of wobble. If Obama sells out Afghanistan he will be the next Neville Chamberlain, he has already sold out Poland and Czech Republic over missile defence, one can postulate that Israel will seen President Obama as weak and thus take military action against Iran. All actions have consequences lets see if Obama can see beyond his own arrogance.

Afghanistan Front News

MOD: Has released the name of the soldier killed yesterday in Afghanistan, the soldier was " Acting Sergeant Michael Lockett MC from 2nd Battalion The Mercian Regiment " Our thoughts are with the family of Acting Sergeant Lockett.

1,000 more UK Soldiers for Afghanistan

The Times: Reports that the UK will send another one thousand soldiers to Afghanistan as part of the new strategy of General McChrystal. This would be a good move as long as President Obama has the backbone to support the call for more US troops. It has been reported that General McChrystal will ask for another thirty to forty thousand US troops to give security to the population of Afghanistan and build up the security forces of Afghanistan, this is causing heart failure in the White House and in Congress. The War in Afghanistan is does not have good poll ratings and Liberals in Congress want to pull the plug on Afghanistan, they see it as another Bush War. In many respects Obama is up a creek with out much of paddle, what ever his decision it becomes his War, if he says YES to the surge it becomes Obama's War, thus lets be honest here there is a great chance for failure. If Obama says NO, and tries to keep the force level as it is, the War will be lost in 12 months. Thus the Just War that Obama wanted to fight could define his Presidency, he would become the next Jimmy Carter but also LBJ and Nixon due to the fact the he would have lost a WAR on his watch. The problem for President Obama is that the Taliban like the Viet Cong in the Vietnam War can wait him out, a holding War would lead to more losses and Obama would be blamed for not taking the advice of his military, thus he would lose re-election in 2012. The decision that the President takes on Afghanistan is like the decision that LBJ took in 1965, either the USA is in or out of a War, this decision more that health care will define President Obama.

Death in Afghanistan

MOD: Reports that another British soldier has been killed in Afghanistan, the soldier was form the " 2nd Battalion The Mercian Regiment " Thus since 2001 the UK has lost 217 of its Armed Forces Personnel in Afghanistan, of that total 186 have died in combat operations, another 31 have died due to illness, accidents or other incidents. Can we win in Afghanistan, and what does win mean when it comes to Afghanistan, how many more deaths, at what point do we leave, it is Obama's War, at what point do we leave?

End Result in Afghanistan

The New York Times: Reports the following on General McChrystal report to the Obama Administration on Afghanistan, " unless he is provided more forces and a robust counterinsurgency strategy, the war in Afghanistan is most likely lost. " Thus can President Obama carry a holding strategy for Afghanistan, keep the force level at is present of just seventy thousand troops but with no increase, the simple brutal answer is yes but it will be at the cost of more casualties for US troops. This is 1965 all over again, in other words the Vietnam War, in 65 LBJ had a crushing victory over the Republicans with the promise that he would not send more troops to Vietnam. There is a difference with Obama in 2008, Afghanistan was the Just War, not the War of choice as Iraq was seen for Bush 43, in essence Obama tied his political fortunes to winning in Afghanistan. Thus we come to report by General McChrystal that is blunt, either more troops or the US will fail in Afghanistan, Obama wants to keep Afghanistan on the side lines while he fights for health care, LBJ wanted to fight his real love, the social change of the Great Society, but like Vietnam for LBJ, Afghanistan is not a War that you can fight when you want to fight it, its now and its urgent. In 1965 LBJ didn't want to send troops to protect the airfields of US planes in South Vietnam but they need protection from the Viet Cong, thus the start of the massive troops presence in South Vietnam, Obama has a choice , either more troops or lose, Afghanistan taken over by the Taliban would be a threat to Pakistan, and the rest of the region, Pakistan is nuclear armed, one really cant see a way out of this for President Obama, he cant risk losing but winning might feel like losing. TO WIN IS TO LOSE!

The Report on Afghanistan by General McChrystal

The Washington Post: Reports on the Report that has rocked Washington D.C. In essence more troops for Afghanistan or fail. Click here to READ REPORT. This is Obama's LBJ moment, he is either in our out of Afghanistan, in 1965 LBJ could have withdrawn from Vietnam but he believed in the domino theory, if South Vietnam fell to the communists this would drag the rest of Asia in to the communist fold, does Obama believe that if the USA was to leave Afghanistan that Pakistan would be safe from the threat of the Taliban of Pakistan, at the end of the day the War in Afghanistan is more about Pakistan than Afghanistan. As Obama has shown he has sold out Poland and the Czech Republic, will he now sell out Afghanistan and Pakistan. The decision the President takes now will define his Presidency and the security of the USA and Afghanistan and Pakistan.

More Troops or Failure in Afghanistan = General McChrystal

BBC News: Reports on a clear message that the US Commander in Afghanistan has sent to the Obama Administration, more troops or failure in Afghanistan. As noted yesterday President Obama it seems is getting wobbly about Afghanistan, the revolt of the Liberal base to the idea that the US should send tens of thousands of more soldiers to Afghanistan has affected the Oval Office. What is interesting is the nature of the leak to the Washington Post, it either came from the Defence Department, someone wants to place pressure on the President to send more troops, does recall Vietnam all over again, and as the New York Times stated Obama's does not want to be another Lyndon Johnson, he does not want his domestic agenda destroyed by a War, in the case of LBJ it was Vietnam, in the case of Obama it could be Afghanistan. Or the leak could have come from the CIA, as noted in previous posts, Eric Holder the Attorney General of the United States, a close friend of President Obama has launched an investigation in the torture practices of the CIA. It can be postulated that this could be the CIA getting its own back on the Obama White House. Lets recall that the CIA leaked against Bush 43 with great effect, the leaks didn't help Bush 43 with the Congress or the public. At the end of the day President Obama does not have the leisure of taking his time over Afghanistan, health reform is important but the security of US soldiers take precedent, thus Afghanistan if Obama is not careful could become his Vietnam and Iraq.