For those of us who fought in Afghanistan and Iraq, it was extremely important that the new president get the situation in Afghanistan right. Not just for America's security, but for those troops still in Afghanistan, and those heading to Afghanistan to put their lives on the line in the war. With today's announcement, President Obama has shown that he "gets it." That's why we at VoteVets.org are supporting the plan with a petition, which you can sign on to, right here.
There's a lot to like about the plan. But, there are three key things I'm particularly focused on, that represent a stark departure from the previous administration. They show that this president not only has reasonable goals in the region, but a good idea of what it will take to get there.
Point One: The Military Can't Do It All
The president recognizes that the war against terrorists requires much more than just throwing troops at the problem. That alone will go a long way towards setting policies that make America safer, and taking the burden off our military.
The president said today, "To advance security, opportunity, and justice - not just in Kabul, but from the bottom up in the provinces - we need agricultural specialists and educators; engineers and lawyers.... These investments relieve the burden on our troops. They contribute directly to security. They make the American people safer. And they save us an enormous amount of money in the long run - because it is far cheaper to train a policeman to secure their village or to help a farmer seed a crop, than it is to send our troops to fight tour after tour of duty with no transition to Afghan responsibility."
This is key, and something that was lacking in the region for a long time. Those hardline radicals who want to take control thrive on poverty and misery of the people. The single best thing we can do to ensure that the Afghan people aren't so destitute and broken that they're tempted to join these radicals, is to send civilian training and humanitarian aid.
Point Two: Though it's the "War in Afghanistan," we need to treat it like a region
That the president made a point of including Pakistan in this strategy, offering greater aid to them if the Pakistani government makes more of an effort to work and coordinate with us, is as smart as it is practical.
Everyone - myself included - has not helped when we bind the efforts in the region under the name "The War in Afghanistan." This is a regional problem, that requires a regional solution.
President Obama understands to get the support of the Pakistani people, which will make it easier to get the help we need from the Pakistani government, it takes carrots. And his plan focuses squarely on that. His support for legislation sponsored by Senators John Kerry and Richard Lugar that authorizes $1.5 billion in direct support to the Pakistani people every year over the next five years, along with another bill that creates opportunity zones in the border region will go a long way towards getting the cooperation we need to really focus in on al Qaeda, and close in on them from the Pakistani and Afghan sides of the border region.
Point Three: There is a tighter focus, open to reaching out to some of the enemy
Maybe most importantly, this president has given up the pipe dream of setting up a European-style democracy in Afghanistan, and instead has refocused our goals on a more urgent mission - protecting America and the world from terrorism.
We've finally left fantasy-land, where America can simply go somewhere, topple a government, and western-style democracies will pop up and thrive. Afghanistan is a very different beast. And, while the president committed to helping build out infrastructure for the Afghan people, and improve the lives of the Pakistani people, he's not letting dreams of a grand new western democracy get in the way of more practical and tighter goals - namely, fighting al Qaeda and taking the region away as a home base for the terror network, forever.
To do so, the president recognized something that I wrote about last week - there are elements throughout the region that are fighting us now, but could become our partners. This might have been the most striking parts of the President's speech:
"There is an uncompromising core of the Taliban. They must be met with force, and they must be defeated. But there are also those who have taken up arms because of coercion, or simply for a price. These Afghans must have the option to choose a different course. That is why we will work with local leaders, the Afghan government, and international partners to have a reconciliation process in every province. As their ranks dwindle, an enemy that has nothing to offer the Afghan people but terror and repression must be further isolated. And we will continue to support the basic human rights of all Afghans - including women and girls."
I couldn't have put it better myself.
Now, will everything go exactly according to plan? Of course not. Nor is this going to be quick. But with the points above, and the rest that the President laid out, those of us who served finally have confidence that this President gets it, and will keep us on the right course - the reasonable and practical course. That's something we veterans have been waiting for.
Crossposted at VetVoice.com
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1) They had bases that trained terrorists for attacks on America
2) They drew in every finatic goofball from countries in their area and indoctrina
3) They quit playing soccer, instead they used that as a place to beat the crap out of women or shoot people in the head.
4) They blew up centuries old carvings of Buddhas because the only history they seem to respect is theirs.
So now, folks here are saying "we just need to leave, let them take care of it"
What a bunch of morons.
— Voltaire
Yes let them fight their own lousy battles. We've got enough problems and 9-11 was NOT caused by a ragtag band of terrorists from Afgahnista
You cannot impose democracy at the point of a gun. Save us from moronic, arrogant Americans fed lies and propaganda their entire lives trying to save the world....e
nuff said
Two Billion a month is what Afghanista
And 10 Billion more for Pakistan.
Obama is NOT BRINGING TROOPS OUT OF IRAQ...des
There is a report from the Congressio
I voted for Obama. I am disappoint
I will not vote for Obama again.
There is however a remedy, capable of providing a cure. Which when applied works, not from without but from within, to erode cancerous concepts.
Sound ideas can withstand exposure and examinatio
Either you're so smart you're crazy (I hoep this is the case) or you're not-so-sma
It is certainly true that Taliban and Al Qaeda type terrorists have been wreaking havoc in different parts of Pakistan. However, we should all be careful not to equate terrorism with the threat of a hostile takeover. A Taliban takeover of Pakistan is implausibl
Ideologica
The numbers just don't add up.
Sanjeev Bery
http://www
Thank you for the link. I agree with what you said about the US consumer and the US taxpayer funding drug cartels, growers of poppies and marijuana and other people involved in supplying the consumer with a product AND the cost of the "war on drugs that has never worked".
In 1980 I taught a Marketing course, as part of a college degree program, in a US Federal prison.
One prisoner asked me why he should be in jail for selling drugs. He said " You are teaching me to understand the consumer, provide a product that is in demand and make a profit. I supply a product and I do not have to advertise, the customers come looking for me, and I make more money in one week than you do all year teaching."
What could I say other than " selling drugs is illegal."
In 1980 I concluded that we should repeal all our drug laws.
Starting with pot...Go To:
http://www
And sign the petition.
The Obama administra
Instead, Obama is setting foot on the road paved with good intentions by another once-progr
In the meantime, supporters of Obama in Congress and across the country urgently need to help him avoid this deathtrap by standing up to the military-i
Look past the deliberate deception of the "war against terror" rhetoric. Terrorism is not the reason we will continue to occupy Iraq and Afghanista
But Chomsky has no talent for history and get carried away to an amazing extent.
and you:stop aping other people and GET YOUR OWN MIND, dude.
President Obama does have it right. We should have carpet bombed the Taliban into submission long ago, helped set up a proper government for them, and given the Afghan people enough representa
You will then learn a lot about the complex issues in the middle east, India, Pakistan and other parts of the world.
The citizens of Canada are fed up with their citizens dying in Afghanista
As I have said before..."
There are two good books to read on this subject. One was written by President Jimmy Carter and the other by Lee Iaccoca.
If the effort that was wasted in Iraq, would have remain focused in Afghanista
George Bush is the one who decided to misdirect that goal and change it to DOMOCRITIZ
Our BORDER security is being adressed now, finally, after Bush let it go unchecked for the last nine years.
Who's ass will be dying in vain in Afghanista
I want Al Qaeda blasted off the face of the earth, frankly. I want Osama Bin Laden to PAY FOR WHAT HE DID.
Nothing outraged me more then when George Bush let Bin Laden get away, and then redirected his/our focus to Iraq and Saddam Hussein, who had NOTHING to do with 911.
George Bush turned tail and ran out of Afghanista
WTF?! Neither Al Qaeda or Osama Bin Laden was in Iraq!
George Bush, effectivel
Frenzied MOBS just want "Blood" and they don't much care WHO'S blood or if the person they are "hunting" is actually guilty or innocent of the accused crime.
George Bush DIVERTED our anger to Iraq. He turned our country into a mob and stupidly directed our outrage to the WRONG Person in the WRONG country at the WRONG time.
Obama repeatedly stated HIS intentions to go DIRECTLY after THOSE who were actually GUILTY of murdering 3000 people in my country.
You're somewhat right. Obama sometimes said he was bringing the troops home without mention of Afghanista
Then...
"Now, will this strategy achieve it's goals? If it's well executed, chances are..." [sic]
Certainty turned to doubt in an instance.
This is one of the reasons I voted for him....and thanks to George Bush, who allowed these murders to go free for the last 6 years, while he totally botched "his stupid WRONG mission in Iraq" the job is now going to be a hundred times more difficult.
President Obama isn't looking for any non-define
That is a CLEARLY defined goal.
These people have lived this way for thousands of years and they don't intend to change. Look around you, crush AlQuada in one area, they just pop up in another, maybe it is time to figure out we are not the worlds policeman, that just maybe the rest of the world don't want to mirror us. We have more pressing issuses in the United States such as a flawed economy. A strong defense and inteligenc
President Obama needs to hear from those of us who understand the true costs of war. I have already asked my Senator, Bob Casey, D. PA., to only fund the costs to transport our troops out of Iraq and Afghanista
Sorry. You have the facts wrong. The premise of your criticism is wrong.
He is not trying to be the world's policeman like George Bush was. HE is RIGHTLY going to go after those who killed 3000 innocent people on American soil....an
Going after Bin Laden and Al qaeda is an entirely different situation from BOTH Vietnam and Iraq. The goal is DIFFERENT, the REASON for the fight is entirely different.
Going after Bin Laden is JUST.
http://rea
By Sikander Hayat
Who is going to pay for increasing the size of the Afghanista
Our collective stupidity in allowing the last eight years to happen as they did is a major cause of the present situation. (You could make a strong case for either the last 28 or 35 years, but the last eight have self-evide
And for those wailing about how home needs fixing first - yes, it MUST be fixed. But how was it broken? Until we fix the root cause (multinati
(continued
Think of the past few years as the deliberate spread of plague upon the world in our name. We have a moral, ethical, legal duty to not only stop the contagion, but to actively promote treatment leading to recuperati