The Afghan Speech Obama Should Give, But Won't

TomDispatch:

Sure, the quote in the over-title is only my fantasy. No one in Washington -- no less President Obama -- ever said, "This administration ended, rather than extended, two wars," and right now, it looks as if no one in an official capacity is likely to do so any time soon. It's common knowledge that a president -- but above all a Democratic president -- who tried to de-escalate a war like the one now expanding in Afghanistan and parts of Pakistan, and withdraw American troops, would be so much domestic political dead meat.

This everyday bit of engrained Washington wisdom is, in fact, based on not a shred of evidence in the historical record. We do, however, know something about what could happen to a president who escalated a counterinsurgency war: Lyndon Johnson comes to mind for expanding his inherited war in Vietnam out of fear that he would be labeled the president who "lost" that country to the communists (as Harry Truman had supposedly "lost" China). And then there was Vice President Hubert Humphrey who -- incapable of rejecting Johnson's war policy -- lost the 1968 election to Richard Nixon, a candidate pushing a fraudulent "peace with honor" formula for downsizing the war.

Read the whole story: TomDispatch

Comments

[rabiddog6708]

01:38 PM on 11/28/2009

Obama admin won't sign treaty with the other 156 countries who already have to ban landmines.

http://www.democracynow.org/2009/11/25/ahead_of_key_global_conference_us

[senorlou]

02:22 PM on 11/26/2009

http://www.costofwar.com/

What could have been.

[senorlou]

02:27 PM on 11/26/2009

The trade offs. We could have GOTTEN OFF of foreign oil, or ended homelessness in America:

http://www.nationalpriorities.org/tradeoffs?location_type=1&state=888&program=577&submit_tradeoffs=from_costofwar&tradeoff_item_item=999

[senorlou]

02:08 PM on 11/26/2009

Correction - we did fund the Afghan rebels and there is no known link directly to Al Queda. We were on the same side as the Arabs in that war - both the Arabs and the US were funding the Afghan rebels. SO, you got me on that one, I admit it. Still, Bin Laden played the Bush Admin. like a fiddle, and now here we are totally devastated by both these wars and the rest of the GOP policies. We have states that are seriously on the verge of bankruptcy. We are about to send 30,000 plus soldiers into Aghanistan at $1,000,000 a piece, sure to be far more expensive in the end than that. And that price is nothing compared to the value of those young lives we're sure to lose in this foolish war.

[OpposingViewpoint]

12:31 PM on 11/26/2009

Look, I understand and largely agree with those that oppose the additional troop deployments to the AFPAK region. I have said on numerous occasions we could have and should have wrapped this up by mid 2002. However, we must also understand when we voted for '0 in 2008 we were also voting for exactly what we are seeing with regards to escalating this conflict.
This is what candidate Obama said in 2008. "We've got to get the job done there and that requires us to have enough troops so that we're not just air-raiding villages and killing civilians, which is causing enormous problems there," Obama said. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/14/AR2007081400950.html
This is what President Obama said after assuming the Presidency. 'Disrupt, dismantle and defeat' Yet Obama bluntly warned that the al-Qaida terrorists who masterminded the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks were actively planning further attacks on the United States from safe havens in Pakistan. And he said the Afghanistan government is in peril of falling to the Islamic militants of the Taliban once again. “So I want the American people to understand that we have a clear and focused goal: to disrupt, dismantle and defeat al-Qaida in Pakistan and Afghanistan, and to prevent their return to either country in the future,” the president said. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29898698/
In summary, the President is doing exactly what he said he would do.

Regards
OV

[D-V-H]

12:42 PM on 11/26/2009

Shocking, someone doing what they said they would.

What'll happen next???

[OpposingViewpoint]

12:45 PM on 11/26/2009

You must admit doing what you said you would do is a rare occurrence indeed in todays political arena.

[senorlou]

02:14 PM on 11/26/2009

Were a dozen states on the verge of bankruptcy when he said that? Have you ever made plans and then changed them?

[DrToketee]

12:28 PM on 11/26/2009

This is exactly why this former strong Obama supporter no longer supports him, nor even listens to him any more. And there are now millions out there just like me. It all goes back to judging a person not by what he says, but by what he DOES.

Barack Obama has revealed himself as an outright coward. When it comes to making the right decision or a timely decision, he has so far ALWAYS decided on expedient politics.

People, we are so screwed for many years to come. All the hope we had for our country to get back on track and our children to reach their dreams has been crushed by the very same man who had originally brought that hope to us.

[D-V-H]

12:39 PM on 11/26/2009

As an Obama voter, I find your "change of heart" disingenuous. Obama ran on prosecuting the_war in Afghanistan.
Don't fall for the rightie talking points about dithering. Would you rather have a decision based on deliberation of the facts or a gut reaction, no matter the cost? We have had too much "gut" and needless_war is the result.

[yankee222]

11:41 AM on 11/26/2009

If Obama can not keep his promise to bring the troops home, then it's time to restart the draft.

As far as the speech - use the following adapted from Country Joe

Well, come on all of you, big strong men,
Uncle Sam needs your help again.
He's got himself in a terrible jam
Way down yonder in Afghanistan
So put down your books and pick up a gun,
We're gonna have a whole lotta fun.

[D-V-H]

11:40 AM on 11/26/2009

This is a political calculation that too many Democrats seem to make. They run from their ingrained principles solely because of the potential reaction of the right. The ferociousness of the right's response to anything that doesn't fit their worldview is palpable.

I say stick to your own principles and stop worrying about political fallout. Let folks vote (or not) for you based on who you are and what you believe. Don't concern yourself with getting reelected. I think of that line "build it and they will come". In other words be yourself, the voters will respect you for it.
****
Given the choice between a Republican and someone who acts like a Republican, people will vote for the real Republican all the time
Harry S Truman

[senorlou]

11:54 AM on 11/26/2009

Yes they will, and it's everybody's loss.

[D-V-H]

11:56 AM on 11/26/2009

Give them a choice.
Isn't it better to fail standing up for your principles?

[condew]

11:21 AM on 11/26/2009

Sometimes it seems like it is better to be Obama's enemy than his friend. He sucks up to his enemies and craps on his friends. Health care reform is popular, but his support is lukewarm; wars are unpopular, and Obama doesn't count the costs.

[senorlou]

11:52 AM on 11/26/2009

Have to admit, it's hard to understand what this guy is doing right now. Still, he has a nearly impossible job. This country has never been in such bad shape - at least not since WWII or the Civil War.

[D-V-H]

12:41 PM on 11/26/2009

I think many are mistaking deliberation with indecisiveness. He IS counting the costs, unlike our previous president.

[senorlou]

10:50 AM on 11/26/2009

Is there anyone out there who has actually been to or fought in this Afghanistan War? What do you think Obama should do? Is this war "winnable?" You have to realize, there are plenty of Americans who are willing to send you on ten tours of duty because "failure is not an option." Please post something, if you have served. Thanks!

[sumitch52]

10:54 AM on 11/26/2009

My Nephew is there. He does not say what the president should do, they always have respect for the commander in chief. He is proud of his work, and feels we must win, he is committed, he also served in Iraq and found it to be most rewarding and has never understood the media's reluctance to report on all of the good we have accomplished there.

[senorlou]

10:56 AM on 11/26/2009

I didn't ask you - you didn't serve there. I'm asking for somebody who's actually BEEN there, not someone who thinks he has because his nephew is there. I've got friends in the army. ONe of them I'm going to see on Friday. That doesn't mean I know what's going on there.

[MacQ]

11:16 AM on 11/26/2009

I guess that's not the answer senorlou was fishing for.
Godspeed to your nephew--tell him that many Americans appreciate his service, and he cal walk tall for life knowing that he has contributed great good to something beyond himself.

[AnnfromCA]

11:00 AM on 11/26/2009

I guess that depends on how you define win.

The surge did work in Iraq, in spite of anti-war protests to the contrary. I am guessing that there is a way to so deplete the Al Quaida leader ranks that the movement loses power.

Perhaps, then, the Taliban were also lose its momentum.

One thing I do know. Obama campaigned precisely on this war. So there is no excuse for his base to complain.

You voted on this. He made more of Afghanastan than the other candidates.

If you weren't listening, that's too bad. There are no surprises here.

[senorlou]

01:27 PM on 11/26/2009

Yawn.

[sumitch52]

10:44 AM on 11/26/2009

So how exactly will this solve the te rroris t issue? or the man made disasters? Are we going to fight them on our soil instead of their own? Because, we will.

[postman66]

10:53 AM on 11/26/2009

It's a law enforcement and intelligence function. Once you find the bad guys you target them with Special Forces if necessary.

[Waxer]

11:11 AM on 11/26/2009

VP Biden's strategy was completely discounted. Wonder why? By the way, what do you think we have been doing with the special forces over the years in Iraq and Afghanistan? Training Al Qaeda again!

[grandtrunk road]

11:09 AM on 11/26/2009

Did you read the whole article? Not just this precis? We will not be fighting "terrorists" in Afghanistan--at least not the kind that are likely to attack us on our own soil. The Taliban are fighting a war of resistance in their own country. Having read this piece, I wonder how Obama is going to justify continuing this war, given that the number of Al-Qaeda in the area is minimal, and war in that country tends to breed more war in a never-ending cycle . . . As to how exactly the terrorist issue will be resolved, don't kid yourself that anybody knows exactly, but we should not be deploying our military in places where the enemy isn't just so that Americas will have a false sense of security.

[CanadianBeef]

10:43 AM on 11/26/2009

One real terrorist threat is the Somali pirates who daily raid and kidnap with impunity north of the African coast. With its massive navy, the U.S. could do something useful against terrorism by just patrolling those waters. That would be money much better spent than escalating the war in Afghanistan. It would benefit dozens of countries and show the positive power of the military.

[senorlou]

10:40 AM on 11/26/2009

If any of you here want this war to go on, please go down to the "Military Career Center," usually located in the poor side of town, sign up to fight with the infantry. If you can't do that, then please can the phony patriotism. Thanks! :)

[sumitch52]

10:46 AM on 11/26/2009

Part of a military family, sacrificed more than you will ever know, unless of course you are part of the military in which case I apologize. Support of the troops at all cost is patriotism.

[senorlou]

10:48 AM on 11/26/2009

Did you fight in Afghanistan or Iraq?

[Waxer]

10:50 AM on 11/26/2009

Our military is an "all" volunteer and brave they are. Our service members had a choice and they made it . Get over it.

[postman66]

10:58 AM on 11/26/2009

Real nice how with the old notion of shared responsibility. If it's deemed worth it that we fight an endless war then it's time for a draft. Men and women are losing any semblance of a life fighting multiple tours.

[condew]

10:28 AM on 11/26/2009

If Obama want's to keep fighting Bush's wars, real Democrats in Congress should attach a "strong public option open to all" as part of every war funding bill.

[senorlou]

10:41 AM on 11/26/2009

That's a clever one. I like it!

[CanadianBeef]

10:44 AM on 11/26/2009

I love it! Just offer a pro-peace amendment to everything that moves!

[sumitch52]

10:50 AM on 11/26/2009

The Bush war thing is getting a little old. How about Obama's parties, Obama's wars, Obama's spending issues ( conservatives hated the Bush spending, never understood why dems could not stand him, I mean if you hate Bush, that is kind of funny) Obama's teleprompter, Obama's economy, Obama's lack of substance.

[senorlou]

10:22 AM on 11/26/2009

If you think of all the innocent people we have blown up, shot, and starved to death because of these idiotic wars, we really shouldn't complain if we lose the same exact number of people. What goes around, comes around. Ask Germany.

[Waxer]

10:27 AM on 11/26/2009

Why doesn't citizens of the middle east stop these people that want to make war?

[luvbeingright]

10:34 AM on 11/26/2009

the Muslim clerics really need to step up to plate and stop thier senseless war on the west

[senorlou]

10:38 AM on 11/26/2009

We started these wars. My goodness, didn't you know that? Bin Laden was trained by the CIA. Look it up. Get informed.

[DollyLama1964]

10:44 AM on 11/26/2009

Thanks Rev. Wright

[senorlou]

10:54 AM on 11/26/2009

What a pitiful thing to post. When the USSR invaded other countries, did you think they were right? We're invading the same country that finished off their empire. History is repeating itself, and all you're repeating are GOP talking points and pathetic insults.

[demrepub]

10:21 AM on 11/26/2009

The typical liberal response to any criticism of Obama....."but Bush did...FILL IN THE BLANK..."

When will the liberals realize that Obama's decisions are the central issue now? What exactly has he done right? We're still in Iraq pursuing a draw down of troops put in place BEFORE he took office. Unemployment has increased by almost 30% since he took office. He has tripled the national deficit in less than 10 months. For every dollar the US Govt spent this year, it borrowed 50 cents. The war in Afghanistan (a war Obama said we can't afford to lose) is been spinning out of control. The Obama economic team seems to be the gang that couldn't shoot straight. Is there anyone in America with confidence in Geithner and Summers? Well they're Obama's men. The healthcare debate seems more centered on providing the right "pork" to swing senators than on providing a comprehensive plan that will actually help Americans. 2000+ pages? Why not a simple one or two page summary of exactly what the plan will provide and what it will cost. The CBO projects huge deficits will arise from unfunded portions of the current plan several years down stream. Are we setting ourselves up for another social security disaster? Talk of social security, where is Obama on that looming disaster? NOWHERE!

The president has created problems of his own that have exacerbated the situation he inherited and the polls are now reflecting that.