Rep. Eric Massa VIDEO: War In Afghanistan Must End

2,950.

That's the number that echoes throughout Rep. Eric Massa's (D-N.Y.) five minute speech on the floor of the House of Representatives, as he fervently calls for an end to the war in Afghanistan. Massa builds his speech by listing off numbers that underscore the massive amounts of money that have been spilled into the war: 2,950 is the number of days we have spent in Afghanistan, $300 billion is how much we have now spent, which comes out to $3,947.36 spent by every family of four.

"Tragically, that's just the good news," Massa says. The financial losses are small when compared with the "irrevocable loss comprised of 911 American combatants killed and 4,198 seriously wounded -- and we do not have the ability to estimate the long-term wounds that we cannot see or quantify -- that will be carried by the soldiers and sailors and airmen and marines of this conflict for the rest of their lives."

This undoubtedly strikes a personal chord for Massa, as he served in the U.S. Military for 24 years and holds a degree from the United States Naval War College. A former Republican, he left his party over his issues with the Iraq War. Now, with the war in Afghanistan, he explains why he's just about had enough:

"...Since becoming a member of the United States Congress, the expansion of the war in Afghanistan has drawn my late night focus. There, in the quiet of the office, I have arrived at the inevitable conclusion that the deployment of troops in Afghanistan and the continuation of this conflict is both not in the the interest of our nation, and in fact is on a par with a potential error the size of our initial invasion in Iraq. The recent election in Afghanistan has underscored the fact that we will never create a Jeffersonian democracy in that nation ... to continue to fight and die for what the people of Afghanistan will not fight and die for is simply wrong."

WATCH Massa's full speech here:

Comments

[romika3]

War, interesting. I have been watching and tracking the whole Afghanistan issue. I cannot remember "War" ever being declared,except for Mr. B's "War on Terror" ramble but that wasn't official. It seems to me that is if there is no war declared then there is no war to lose. We (countries) are all in there searching for those who did the dastardly deed. "Losing the war" perhaps is not the right language here. There is no war to lose because there was no war declared and thus we all can leave and safely say that we are sick and tired of looking for the bugger and you guys (Afghans) take up the search and you other bunch (no names mentioned, but they are countries) take some responsibility for your region and if you care enough and have any "balls" then any of your nationalists who are in Afghanistan or any other country trying to pretend to be heroes should be dealt with a heavy hand in your courts of law when they return home.

[mandycat]

I don't pretend to be an expert in geopolitics, but I modestly claim to be one of the very few people on this comment string who have actually been in Afghanistan. In the mid-1970's it was still possible for Westerners to visit safely. I went from the Pakistan border to Kabul, up to Mazar-e-Sharif then southward to Herat and onward to Iran as part of one of the "overlanders" trips from Kathmandu to London popular then.

If we hope to solve our problems with a military victory in Afghanistan then we are ignoring eons of history. From Genghis Khan to Alexander the Great to the British Empire to the USSR to the USA -- not a particularly hopeful continuum. The terrain can be incredibly difficult for foreigners. The Afghans are smart, they're tough, they're deadly shots with the most primitive weapons, they can disappear into the hillside like mist in the sun, and they now hate us. Where exactly in this scenario do we see military victory?

[Siebenstein]

sorry wrong post here. I am in need of sleep.........

[Siebenstein]

The only intelligent and humane solution to Afghans, American soldiers and allies is a complete withdrawl. Give them money to buid schools , not bombs.

[Balzac]

Thank you sir.

[Rugger]

Those who voted to put this country into two wars committed grave criminal acts. They know it. They have no desire to be punished for their crimes and for the most part, they are still in power in the United States. "Responsible withdrawal" is just another decoy. The companies that profit from this bloody expedition make up a huge chunk of U.S. GDP. They will extract a terrible price from any politician that succeeds in cutting off their gravy train. So, short of a total revolt of the sheeple, there is no way the politicians are going to do anything even close to the right thing and end the bloodbath.

[Schvenzlerman]

Obama will do nothing to curtail the scope and scale of our overseas oppression. He will conduct the wars much as Bush would have done.

[Ryan Keiser]

Thankful he's my representative. We need more independent thinkers like him, who can see beyond politics.

[RogerHWerner]

Obama and those supporting war continuance evade an important question: What do Afghanistan's people desire? This last election proved nothing. Karsi is a sockpuppet and brother to a criminal drug dealer. His government is rife with corruption. Americans can't know what the Afghan people want because we can't ask them and Karsi can't be trusted since his government has been seriously compromised. What we can do is judge the will of the Afghan people by their actions and from what I've seen they would rather we leave. Afghans have a right to resolve their own problems but I believe we have an obligations to help them since we are responsible for much of their present grief. We cannot force our help on them however and so it incenses me whenever I hear any American tell me that remaining in Afghanistan is a matter of our security. Sorry but this war is undeclared and since al Qaeda is no longer in the country it is unclear what our interest is. If it is gas and oil then let's expose and discuss it rather than hide behind a bogus terrorist risk. And since Afghanistan is sovereign, I'm afraid our national interest is second to that of the Afghans unless Obama feels he has justification to declare war. We need to begin turning this war over to the Afghan government and then let the chips fall where they may with a caution that we'll be back if the country becomes a terrorist haven.

[edva]

Thank you Congressman. I believe you've got it right.

[JJinWI]

Hopefully the truth about Iraq and Afghanistan war mongering will be heard by Pres Obama. There is only one reason for US troops being in the region, retribution on Al Qaeda and Bin Laden...or at least that's what Bush tried to sell us.

US troops OUT.

[kosolm]

I believe you are hoping for the wrong thing if you are depending on Obama to hear about
war mongering and change our policy.He heard plenty of crticism concerning FISA,and the
demands for investigations of the war crimes,ren­dition,ill­egal invasions and occupation of
of countries based on lies and distortion of facts by the Bush criminals,and he has chosen
to block any accountabi­lity.Obama has also adopted and continued many of those same policies
that progressives hated when Bush used them,causing me to be an ex BO supporter

[Smartguy47]

Absolutely right. We (the American people) hardly know that there is a conflict going on, let alone not making any kind of sacrifice. We get nothing from the evening news. Bring back the draft. That is the only way to bring the American People, and there elected employees to there senses.

[KindOne]

Well as long as you are bring back the draft, you might as well bring back slavery too, it is what you are proposing.

[rancone]

What?

[oxygen]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iSeuLsNV4CA&feature=related

"those who build walls are pretending..." excellent politician

[AllenPapapetrou]

The peoples of Afghanistan place their allegiance more in tribal than national interests. Long before we arrived and long after we leave their groups will vie for power.

All foreign forces have left Afghanistan without "victory" and the same will hold true for the USA. Stop the killing of, and by, the USA military. Stop the transfer of USA dollars to war machinery corporations.

The only noble option is to:

LEAVE AFGHANISTAN NOW!!!

[Manq]

You know what ALSO supports the troops?

Buying a hybrid.

Less gas = less dependency on foreign oil = less chance of war over foreign resources.

Putting a "support the troops" magnet on that Suburban is really the epitome of hypocrisy.

[wagadog]

Yup.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KmsOIjzQ1V8

[CNYObamaFan]

(Hint: think of it as gallons/100miles, and it all becomes clear).

[CNYObamaFan]

Upgrading from a 10 mpg car to an 11 mpg car gives the same fuel savings as going from a 25mpg car to a 33mpg car, and is the same as going from 33mg to 50mpg. True story.