Afghanistan

[xoxoxoBruce]

Originally Posted by Lamplighter

They spent a year developing this report, but I should done it for them
My report has been stuck on the back of my truck for about a year:

Uh, no. They didn't spend a year developing the report. They report is where they stood when it was completed, 5 months after Petraeus took command, and may not even be valid now.
Your cutsie bumper sticker, is just a less than clever statement of your opinion, and has no bearing on the realities or consequences of any actions taken but the coalition in Afghanistan.

[tw]

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce

Your cutsie bumper sticker, ... has no bearing on the realities or consequences of any actions taken but the coalition in Afghanistan.

And let's be perfectly clear about this. We have no idea if we have already lost. The consequences of not doing nation building may have already sown the seeds of defeat. At some time, we must decide whether we were already defeated long ago when George Jr all but surrendered to the Taliban in 2003.

All other relevant parties are also making decisions based upon what occurred in 2003. For example, why would Pakistan want to be helpful? Pakistan is vying for control after America leaves. Pakistan is at war with India over who will be their ally in Afghanistan. From Pakistan's viewpoint - and especially because Afghanistan is so much like the South Vietnamese government (corrupt) - Pakistan only cares about winning the hearts and minds of the victor. Doing so to defeat India.

How do we get Pakistan to conduct war against the Taliban? The Karzai government must be replaced by a government that does not promote overt corruption. But that is not going to happen. Just one of so many reasons why we have been defeated so many years ago. And we still do not yet know it.

How do great nations fold? They end up trying to get into wars everywhere. The two longest (hot) wars in America's history - Mission Accomplished and Afghanistan. And we are paying for them at Halliburton prices using Chinese money.

Even if we win militarily, how serious is this defacto defeat? And bin Laden still runs free thanks to George Jr's surrender in 2003. Never forget the disaster preached by George Jr when he said, "America does not do nation building."

[Lamplighter]

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce

Uh, no. They didn't spend a year developing the report. They report is where they stood when it was completed, 5 months after Petraeus took command, and may not even be valid now.
Your cutsie bumper sticker, is just a less than clever statement of your opinion, and has no bearing on the realities or consequences of any actions taken but the coalition in Afghanistan.

Oh, I'm sad it didn't appeal that much to you.

I'm not sure, how many countries from the original "coalition of the willing" are still in"?
People don't usually leave the winning team

As in the last years of the the Viet Nam war (for those of us old enough to remember ),
the situation seems very similar... militarily and politically.

Presidents have a very hard time getting past the "not on my watch" attitude.
So we hear more and more often from leaders that,
- even tho our troops have done everything we asked of them,
the war can not be won militarily, only politically and so it's now up to
[insert current favorite - Vietnamization / Afghanstanmization / Pakistanimization].

So rather than wait for a another political turning-point,
like the Tet Offensive, where we won the battle but lost the war
it's reasonable to support our troops by bringing them home.
Yes, it is just my opinion.

[xoxoxoBruce]

The sentiment, In my opinion, is an option which should be seriously placed in consideration, and not trivialized as a bumper sticker slogan.

[TheMercenary]

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce

Your cutsie bumper sticker, is just a less than clever statement of your opinion, and has no bearing on the realities or consequences of any actions taken but the coalition in Afghanistan.

Heh. I should post a pic of my bumper stickers.... I have some that reflect my clever statement of how F'd up our government is currently. One says "Got Bilked?" with a pic of Pelosi, Reid, and Biden.