White House Divided On Size Of Afghan Force

New York Times:

WASHINGTON The military's anticipated request for more troops to combat the insurgency in Afghanistan has divided senior advisers to President Obama as they try to determine the proper size and mission of the American effort there, officials said Thursday.

Read the whole story: New York Times

Comments

[PanBaccha]

02:02 PM on 09/07/2009

The Roman Empire sent itself into oblivion when its troops were spread thinly, and its economy weakened. It was the definitive nail in the coffin. Today our economy occupies the same toilet, and our troops are also spread thinly throughout Iraq and Afghanistan. Where to next? Pakistan? 'Tis time to bring the troops home. 'Tis time to repair our country. 'Tis time to rid from our midst this mindset of 'cowboys and injuns.' It's old and tiresome. Come home America! Come home now!

[MacPherson]

01:27 PM on 09/05/2009

Vice-President Biden has a son serving in the Middle East. Hillary doesn't. I trust Joe's judgment on this more than Hillary's.

[Rog49Thomas]

05:27 AM on 09/05/2009

If I remember my math classes correctly, you can't divide by zero.

And if you divide zero by any number (except itself) you get zero.

What's the confusion here?

[Ergon]

08:32 PM on 09/04/2009

Just as Iraq was Bush's war, this now is Obama's war. And we know how that turned out for the presidency.
Many people who voted for him believed he would withdraw the troops from Iraq. Now that he's just shifted them into Afghanistan, does he really think they'll vote for him next time?
LBJ was a lame duck as soon as people realised Vietnam couldn't be won.

[riverhouse]

05:54 PM on 09/04/2009

Give it up. Get out of Afghanistan while the getting is good.

[Moshe]

03:04 PM on 09/04/2009

FYI to Whitehouse: Stop arguing about the details of the fiasco and end the fiasco.

The war in Afghanistan was a lost cause from day one, as was Vietnam.

But we let 58,212 young Americans die needlessly in Vietnam, before the inevitable truth was acknowledged.

Defending the corrupt Afghan government is not worth one unnecessary death, but their blood will be on the hands of those who continue to prolong this misguided and pointless war.

[mcmchugh99]

02:51 PM on 09/04/2009

Obama should beware of Republicans and DLC types who want to sucker him into a large-scale conventional war in Afghanistan, only to jump ship later and attack him in 2012 for not being hawkish enough, getting bogged down in a quagmire, not having the will to win, etc, etc.

These people only want to set him up, and then see his presidency fail--along with all his proposed reforms.

This war cannot be won in any conventional way. It is not the Normandy invasion of 1944. Only a very unconventional strategy involving social, political and economic development has even a chance of meeting the minimal goals there. If they intend to turn this into a conventional war quagmire, they might as well get out now and cut the best deal they can.

[pearlone]

12:53 PM on 09/04/2009

I know nothing about this but I do know I trust Joe Biden

[ResistanceisFutile]

12:29 PM on 09/04/2009

Clinton wants more troops in Afganistan. She should encourage Chelsea to sign up and ship over.

[TJCole]

12:18 PM on 09/04/2009

"The one thing history teaches, is that man learns nothing from history..!"

Frederick Hegel...

[RoveRoveRoveYourBoat]

11:08 AM on 09/04/2009

The only way to quell agressive Afgan nationals is to subdue ALL Afgans.
WE OCCUPY THEIR TRIBAL REGIONS THEY DON'T HAVE A "COUNTRY".
Stop the neocon legacy, Stop the occupation. Stop the killing.

[Zen0469]

11:08 AM on 09/04/2009

How about ZERO as the optimal size of the Afghan Force?

Afghans wouldn't know the difference. If they don't like the Taliban, let them shoot the Taliban. If they put up with being beaten by a Taliban stick, let them be beaten with a stick. Sooner or later, they'll figure it out. We'll save money and they'll get to use their sticks, rifles or whatever.

Oh, and by the way. To he// with the oil companies.

[Chili4me]

10:49 AM on 09/04/2009

Democrats micromanaged Vietnam to our detriment. Let the military do the job they were hired to do.

[kindGSL]

11:00 AM on 09/04/2009

But bombing the middle east with depleted uranium will poison them forever. It is blowing over into India and Pakistan, even England. Is that our idea of foreign policy? We should look at the long term effects.

Or, worse still, are we to think Hillary already has and it is OK with her?

People need to look at some pictures of what kinds of deformed children are being born because of this kind of poisoning, and the horrible diseases it causes.

Depleted uranium is about the worst kind of war crime I have ever seen imagined. I am completely disgusted we are using it.

Are we being worse that Hitler?

I don't know lets talk about it. Did Hitler poison whole countries with radioactive waste? It looks more like that bible verse about salting the fields to me. I find it unimaginable that we can get away with it. Time for some war crimes tribunals.

[hark]

11:05 AM on 09/04/2009

Sorry, that's not how it works in this country. We the people, the civilians, as represented by the president, set the policy, and the military leaders do as they are told.

[omop]

10:28 AM on 09/04/2009

Since Mr. Hobrooke is a Henry Kissinger protege havving worked with him during the Vietnam years and is considered a neocon's necoon he obviously believes that his posting as a PRO-CONSUL figure provides him the authority to demand extra US military and continued presence in Afghanistan.

One wonders whether his allegiance is to the US or the TAPI ( Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India) pipeline ?

[doubtingdavid]

09:41 AM on 09/04/2009

Either do whatever it takes to win and defeat the taliban and control it or bring them home.

[ResistanceisFutile]

12:34 PM on 09/04/2009

You would have to kill every Afgan to control that country just as you would have to kill every Iraqi to control Iraq. Recognize that and recognize our insanity for allowing our leaders to drag us into these military conflicts.

I certainly don 't want the military killing anyone in my name.