Gates: Americans Won't Accept "Long Slog" In Afghanistan

Los Angeles Times:

After eight years, U.S.-led forces must show progress in Afghanistan by next summer to avoid the public perception that the conflict has become unwinnable, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said in a sharp critique of the war effort.

Read the whole story: Los Angeles Times

Comments

[Tuckerndfw]

The Bush administration did nothing without Democrats' support.

It is not a partisan issue since Dems are just as responsible as Repubs for the fiascos in Iraq & Afghanistan, the financial crisis and the other problems we face. Dems are not the solution, they are part of the problem.

Party politics should be unlawful.

[ThankGodhesgone]

Dems may have supported the war - based on the lies and misinformation of the Bush/Cheney administration.

Still looking for WMDs? How's that working out for you.?

[lobear00]

Mr. Gates I will support the effort if ' 1. round up all those from the bush administration including cheny and bush himself, and their supporters, and those in the congress who jumped on their knee's to support the criminals, send all of them over to the "War Zones", bring the troops out of those areas and let the republican fanatics fight what they started. And send them with what they need, not what's available. Yes I will support that and only that.

[jasjohn128]

Like President Obama and the rest of us, Secretary Gates is stuck with the Afghan-war tarbaby we've inherited from the incompetent Bush administration and cretins like Feith, Cambone and Rumsfeld. We're gonna be there for a while longer, like it or not, and he's doing the best he can with what he's got to work with.

And by the way, Gates is doing a good job standing up to the military-i­ndustrial-­congressio­nal complex too. Fighting to block bloated, pork-laden projects like the F-22 and new presidential helicopter, and putting more money into stuff that our troops and country actually needs, is a good thing and makes me think we've finally got a SecDef who took Eisenhower's words to heart.

[scoops2]

afghanistan=vietnam

its new name is VIETSTAN.

Bring our troops home NOW!

[Tuckerndfw]

Mr. Gates, the "long slog bus" left the station about 4 years ago.

The US has been fighting in Afghanistan longer than we fought in both World Wars combined.

If the US military can't accomplish the mission in four years, they are never going to accomplish the mission.

I respect your opinion & efforts but the US should have never sent troops to Afghanistan or Iraq and the time to leave is now. No one wants to be the last person who dies on a failed mission.

[Nonamnesiac]

Many of the Dems who whine loudest about single-payer, free, quality, universal health care being too expensive routinely vote for bankruptcy-causing supplemental appropriations to kill and maim our troops in wars/occupations wholly against the interests of the Untied States.

[Tuckerndfw]

With rare exception, there is no difference in Washington between a Dem & a Repub.

They both cater to their corporate sponsors.

The military industrial complex is the most powerful lobby in Washington and any poliitician who does not grovel at their feet will soon be an unemployed politician. There are exceptions (Ron Paul, Dennis Kucinich, others) but they are rare.

[bobo5]

It's a budget buster.

[mamacat]

Almost eight years later, and we are still fighting the Taliban, instead of Al Qaeda.

[Nonamnesiac]

This is just more Bush-like lying crap, except it's Obama who's doing it. While planning to overhaul the Afghan prison system after 7 + years in Afghanistan, and while we're escalating, Gates announces Americans oppose staying there and won't accept a "long slog" in Afghanistan. Those words, like similar words during the Bush Administration, are designed to shut the compliant (let-Obama­-kill-and-­maim-just-­not-Republ­icans) peace movement up for another period until it's necessary to make up another, similar lie.

Obama, like Bush, has no intention of getting out of Afghanistan or Iraq and will continue to prosecute guns and butter against the interests of the United States, dooming us in both occupations and in fixing the economy, as guns and butter policies mean guns for the military-industrial complex and no butter for the middle class.

It's really simple -- if you want to get out, make a plan to get out with all of your crap safely within six weeks and get out. It's not rocket science. Getting out all troops and contractors can be done safely and rapidly if we're committed to it. Obama's "we must get out as cautiously as we entered without caution" is another of the lies designed to keep us there forever, as we can get out cautiously, rapidly and safely (six weeks to two months) if we so choose.

[KCFreedom]

Uh, I think we're already in a long slog we don't like. And we already don't have anything to show for it.

They just arn't listening to us.

We won't ever leave until our entire economy collapses. All just for pride and the oil pipeline.

[dukeitout]

Secretary Gates has it correct. With the resources the military is getting to wage war in Afghanistan they should be expected to show real results within the next year. If they don't people should be held accountable. They should be judged on accomplishing the military objectives. Gates of course has a responsibility to clearly define the objectives. I hope one of the objectives is to "immobilize" OBL, ---you know that guy that orchestrated a highly effective attach on our country.

[instagladiator]

"I hope one of the objectives is immobilize OBL, you know that guy that orchestrated a highly effective attach on our country."
You're joking, right?

[dspencer3491]

Sure we were attacked by Al-Qaeda, but I've always remembered that we had intelligence and warning about the terrorist attack that took place on 9/11 prior but we had too stupid of a President to bother with it. War never seems to be the answer because it just never works, drains our economy, and loses our respect in the world, and not to mention we risk our brave men and women out there. We should spend more time rebuilding our relationships with other countries and focusing our time on intelligence rather than relying on defense. Prevention is key.

[instagladiator]

"Sure we were attacked by Al-Qaeda" and you have sound proof of this, right?

[ThinkCreeps]

Er.. yes.

[ThankGodhesgone]

Where was Gates when Boosh started his worthless war in IRAQ. If I recall correctly, we went into Afghanistan to find Bin Laden.

Can't recall the real reason we were in IRAQ - the reasons seemed to change weekly. WMD - no. Al Queda connection - no. Babby Boosh trying to prove his manhood and beat Daddy - guarenteed.

[raptor]

What is the mission in Afghanistan? That is a simple question calling for a simple answer.

[totaldisbelief]

to turn the bad guys into good guys ,make everyone love us , put up malls,suck out whatever raw materials they have and put in an oil pipeline to the oil in the Caspian Sea region.

[instagladiator]

The poppy crop, what else!!

[VoiceofV]

Total status quo MIC propoganda.

The Afghanistan "war" is just another occupation, and it will end like all occupations: The occupier will bleed money and lives until staying is no longer a viable option.

You can never "win" an occupation. Occupiers are can only stay until the money and or soldiers run out. The locals will stay for ever. They have no choice.

Occupations are always a disaster for everyone except the people selling weapons and the polititians who get away with pretending that this time things will be different. They never are.

We never should have went into Afghanistan or Iraq. Both have gone predictiably bad, and both will end in predictable disaster.

[1088]

Full event! Must watch!

http://www.c-span.com/Watch/Media/2009/07/16/HP/A/21072/Defense+Sec+Gates+at+Econom