A SOLDIER'S PERSPECTIVE
THE WEB'S LEADING MILITARY BLOG SINCE 2004
A few weeks ago, President Obama addressed the Veterans of Foreign Wars and spoke about Afghanistan.
“This is not a war of choice,” he told the veterans. “This is a war of necessity. Those who attacked America on 9/11 are plotting to do so again. If left unchecked, the Taliban insurgency will mean an even larger safe haven from which al Qaeda would plot to kill more Americans. So this is not only a war worth fighting. This is fundamental to the defense of our people.”
Last week, Press Secretary Robert Gibbs noted that the decision to send in additional troops was still “several weeks away” while the decision goes through a “very deliberative process on the President’s part.”
It’s been over a month since General McChrystal released his report on the situation in Afghanistan and the need for more troops. Remember, this is the commander that the President put in place after basically firing his predecessor.
This weekend, we lost eight troops with many more injured when the Taliban overran some of our outposts! These troops had to wait on reinforcements for a battle that took ALL DAY to repel. This was the worst loss of troops in over a year!! It was the worst attack on NATO forces in 14 months, and one of the deadliest battles of the eight-year war.
We are stretched out in Afghanistan because they are emboldened by all these delays in sending troops. They recognize that the President’s resolve in this war is shaken, which is causing the American people to publicly speak out about pulling out of the war! Folks, these are the people who killed 3000 people on American soil!
If we lose in Afghanistan – or if we allow them to win – our credibility throughout the world will be questioned. The President dropped the ball by expending all his energy on the Olympics! Even if Chicago was chosen, it was a distraction from what really matters and our troops are paying the price each day a decision isn’t made to approve the troop increases.
If Afghanistan is truly “fundamental to the defense of our people,” then why aren’t we listening to the generals on the ground and ensuring success?!
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Linda
It sickens me that American apathy towards the situation in Afghanistan gives the President the luxury of dithering on Gen McChrystal’s call for more troops. Our President can dash off to Copenhagen with Oprah to charm the IOC, but he’s barely had time for with military advisors to nail down how to proceed in Afghanistan. The Taliban suspects he doesn’t have the courage to provide the political leadership necessary for victory. His vacillation will have to end because this latest incident expends his little remaining political capital and makes he and his civilian advisors look foolish and off topic. I know the Dem’s priority is healthcare legislation, but surely they’ve got to pay attention now. In part, President Obama’s lack fortitude cost those troops their lives this weekend. Gen McChrystal is my hero for speaking the truth about Afghanistan and the President’s strategy in London last week. He put his troops before Washington politics.
Linda
Maybe he will wake up when the Taliban come knocking down his door. What a poor excuse he is for a president. I have never liked him didnt vote for him and wish he had never gotten elected.
Donna
I so agree with you CJ that President Obama needs to address the issue and send more troops before more are killed or maimed.
NY-David
I’ll have to disagree here. The time he spent on the Olympics was about a drop in the bucket compared to other efforts at play.
The item I didn’t hear in McChrystal’s talk was how the war would be won. If we send more troops and then in six months, more troops without a clear strategy, what have we got??
No one wants to hear it but this war wasn’t exactly front burner for quite some time, for some pretty apparent reasons. Iraq was the more winnable war. Now in the first request for escalation in his presidency, because he didn’t send the troops in at the drop of a hat, he’s getting a lot of grief.
I’ll retract if he’s still at it in a month.
NY-David
CJ
David, do you really want the Generals telling the American people (and the Taliban) how the war is going to be won? Can you imagine if Admiral Ramsay and General Eisenhower had talked about how they were going to push back and defeat Germany during WWII? Just let the Generals do their job. Their goal is victory, not defeat.
shannon
I just love the armchair QB’s. Let’s give people ALL the details, complete with how many troops, what weapons will be used, when the bombing runs will commence, and all the particulars…and people think that is wise? OMG! I’m glad those people don’t have any say in military matters, because that most assuredly would be a deadly/costly mistake. It’s unacceptable that Obama is taking his sweet assed time addressing this issue. To me…this just shows that Obama, and the rest of the far left loons, don’t give a crap about the military. You don’t leave people hanging in the middle of a war.
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