Jay Rockefeller Calls For Expedited Afghanistan Withdrawal

WASHINGTON -- Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) sent a letter to President Barack Obama on Monday urging him to accelerate the American withdrawal from Afghanistan, arguing that recent steps to pull American troops back from combat in 2013 do not go far enough.

"I am encouraged by your recent comments regarding the transition of U.S. forces to a support role by the end of 2013 ... but I request that you continue to look at every possibly avenue for safely and responsibly bringing our troops home even more expeditiously," Rockefeller wrote.

The new timetable was announced by Obama and British Prime Minister David Cameron last month following the news that U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Robert Bales had killed 17 civilians in a shooting rampage. That incident, along with the accidental burning of Korans by American forces in Afghanistan, has sparked deadly reprisals against coalition soldiers. Rockefeller said both events further convinced him that the U.S. presence in the country is counterproductive.

"These recent incidents highlight a harsh reality that persists in Afghanistan -- despite our military's many successes, and incredible sacrifices, there is no amount of funding, time, or heroism that can fundamentally address many of the deep-seated challenges that face Afghanistan," he wrote.

Despite the fresh horrors of the last two months, however, Rockefeller has long been a war critic. Monday's letter came a year after he urged withdrawal from all of America's ongoing military actions, criticizing the Iraq War and Libyan intervention along with the war in Afghanistan.

"When I voted for the Iraq War, it was one of the worst votes in my life," Rockefeller told the Charleston Gazette in April 2011. "Today, I have grave misgivings about being in Iraq for another week. We should be out of Iraq this year altogether." At the time, American troops were still stationed in Iraq and U.S. warplanes were participating in the NATO bombing campaign against Libyan dictator Muammar Qaddafi.

Both then and now, Rockefeller also took aim at the budget impact of the conflicts, calling war spending "neither sustainable, nor advisable" in light of financial difficulties at home.

In the letter, the West Virginia senator backed an "overdue" shift to a smaller American force, mostly made of special operations troops, that could "continue to pursue a focused and hard-hitting counterterrorism strategy" while Afghan forces took the lead for overall security.

"It is time to let the Afghan people take ownership of their own future," he wrote.

Read the full letter below:

Comments

[slybarbara]

06:17 PM on 04/05/2012

The reason for the "occupation" of Afghanistan is long past; now it is merely inertia and uncertainly that bogs us down in this needless "war." We got the Talian out, as well as Al Queada. The "plans" for the occupation and withdrawal from Afghanistan were drawn up long ago and the Pentagon is without the stamina or sheer guts to attempt to change policy. We cannot hasten to leave the scene in which we have left so much treasure and lives in. It would seem "unseemly." No more reason. We are incapable of training Afghan "Security Personnel"--they are already waging war against each other. We cannot initiate a viable "democracy" in a primitive land split up amongst factions, tribes and creeds, with a puppet government in Kabut that exists only as long as we pump billions of dollars into it. When we leave it will collapse. Why don't we leave sooner, than later, and save lives and dollars?
SlyBarbara

[KPGUNN]

06:04 AM on 04/05/2012

Here is the truth. The Afghan Security Forces (ASF) are NOT capable yet of providing and sustaining security for the population. When we leave the Taliban will come back and kill everyone they need to. Our presence is needed here for peace and stability. In time the ASF will be able to handle it on their own, but you don't build and train an army in a decade.

[escher3360]

03:36 PM on 04/04/2012

A voice of reason. Why are there so few among those elected to lead? There would be no shame in ending this war now. Bin Laden is dead. Was that not the intended goal?

[slybarbara]

08:13 PM on 04/05/2012

Killing bin Laden was not the "intended goal." That is fatuous. The main purpose of the Afghan "adventure" was to oust the Tabliban and weaken the Al Quada. Bin Laden was just another target, as the innovator of the 9/11 disaster. After we disabled the Taliban the purpose was to build a democracy and train the Security forces to establish and protect it.
Unfortunately, the U.S. Army, after the Bales disaster, is rudderless. The Army must now sit in their bases and mull over their MREs!--awaiting the time to escape the quadmire they put themselves in. The Afghans hate them; they are incapable of training any "security force" that does not turn on itself, and they await some order from Washington to GET OUT.
SlyBarbara

[escher3360]

12:37 PM on 04/06/2012

Ok. I over simplified. The stated goal was Bin Laden (who dead or alive won this "war") and served as an excuse for expansionist policies that have essentially bankrupted the country. Typically war fuels an economy but not when it becomes a drawn out affair/drain. Are we hated as you claim? Absolutely, and justifiably so because of decades of self centered policy supporting political regimes that in no way represent the virtues that this country allegedly represents. Is there a solution? It may be too late, however, by ending this failed war there may be some hope for redemption and recovery.

[InfoCon]

11:20 AM on 04/04/2012

Rockefellors are criminal traitors. They must have their opium cartel in Afghanistan finished.

[baxtron]

09:36 AM on 04/04/2012

We have to stay in Afghanistan until we get Bin Laden!!

[Timma]

09:11 AM on 04/04/2012

Kudos Senator Rockefeller.

[cbwHouston]

02:55 AM on 04/04/2012

Just as the war in Iraq ended orderly, soon Afghanistan will follow… at an appointed time likely autumn of 2013 contingent upon President Obama winning a second-term.

However, if Mitt Romney ascends to The Oval Office all bets are off. “The Project for the New American Century”… too, will be resuscitated courtesy of a new “heart transplant.”

Not dissimilar to Iraq, the neo-cons have been undone by their own ideas and utter incompetence, if but for their fiscal recklessness and for initially neglecting Afghanistan… like the economy, opting instead to leave a foreign war theater debris-field for President Obama to clean up.

Afghanistan began has a novel idea following the 911 attacks, but quickly was jettisoned for a far more "military industrial complex" richer Iraq. However, not dissimilar to Iraq, American involvement has long outlived its usefulness, and have but become not merely cost-prohibitive and pointless nearly to a fault--but usefulness.

Ultimately at the end of the day, few Americans would argue that... short of the Afghanistan Army truly being trained to defend the country’s sovereignty against Pakistani Taliban and Al Qaeda extremist, the country will be overrun by rouge elements on the very day America exists.

Nevertheless, given the nuclear threat potential of either Afghanistan or neighboring Pakistan becoming rouge states, something tells me for many decades in the future America will have covert operations up-and-running in the region.

[bigprogressivejohn]

01:49 AM on 04/04/2012

Go Jay, maybe if Ron Paul gets back to DC soon you could start a push to get more politicians on board with an earlier withdrawal. They don't want us there. This whole nation building thing just creates more terrorism. Maybe if someone had looked at the history of Afghanistan since the beginning of time we might not have gone there. Too much longer and it will have the same effect on us that it did on the USSR.

[Fit2betied]

01:00 AM on 04/04/2012

More of our lawmakers need to endorse the message of Jay Rockefeller.

Bring our Troops home to a HEROS welcome and get them started on the task of rebuilding our military for Peace time service.

Our military has been asked to do too much in the last 10+ years. Let our Soldiers come home to their families.

[JediChef13]

12:55 AM on 04/04/2012

http://tribune.com.pk/story/354205/tapi-pipeline-two-major-us-oil-companies-interested/

Read about why we're really there.

[Timma]

09:13 AM on 04/04/2012

And that's only the tip of the iceberg - Afghanistan is rich in many semi precious minerals tungsten etc. One of the reasons we aren't "fighting harder in Africa for "freedom and democracy" is because we're afraid of stepping on China's toes.

[baxtron]

09:37 AM on 04/04/2012

and here I thought the pipelines were going to Moscow. Putin's back so we'll see.

[JediChef13]

12:52 AM on 04/04/2012

www.upi.com/Business...TAPI-pipeline/UPI-16751333022348/

From five days ago.

[JediChef13]

12:39 AM on 04/04/2012

Here's a little scenario for you all. A wealthy and finacially powerful man (fossil fuel corporations) needs to "handle" a situation (extracting natural gas from Turkmenistan and running the pipeline through Afghanistan). However, an unwilling character (the Taliban) stands in the way or asks for a cut of the money. Wealthy and finacially powerful man (fossil fuel corporations) will have none of lling character's (the Taliban) non-sense and make's a telephone call to their crazy, criminal cousin (the U.S. military/industrial complex) and tells them "I need you to pound this guy into submission". What the wealthy and finacially powerful man (fossil fuel corporations) and the crazy, criminal cousin (the U.S. military/industrial complex) failed to comprehend was that the unwilling character (the Taliban) had cousins too, lots and lots of cousins (Afghani citizens radicalized by military occupation), who have been scrapping it out for decades (centuries). In the end, the wealthy and finacially powerful man (fossil fuel corporations) and the crazy, criminal cousin (the U.S. military/industrial complex) are beaten so badly, they are forced to give up their caper.

[unwashedmasses]

12:37 AM on 04/04/2012

Amen.

[JediChef13]

12:23 AM on 04/04/2012

TAPI pipline. Google it.

[JediChef13]

12:21 AM on 04/04/2012

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-ck-daly/collateral-damage-from-af_b_1367684.html

Maybe te mods will let me post this link, since it's from HP.

Google "TAPI pipeline" and you'll find out why we're really there and why Senator COAL wants out!