I could imagine America’s armies going into the mountains of Asia minor to save these hounds. We love dogs over here way more than people. I can’t imagine what we are doing in the region at this moment. I just don’t see how we can dissuade the poor people of Afghanistan from fuxing with the Taliban by occupying their country. They are a proud people and we are the invaders. I don’t like this revisited scenario.
I don’t like the shell game we have been playing with our servicemen either. We removed forces from Afghanistan and transferred them to Iraq to support the G Dubbz surge back in 2007 and now less than three years later and under a new administration we are taking the Iraq forces and shifting them into Afghanistan. I call this militaristic recidivism. The election of Barack Obama was supposed to be a referendum on the previous admin’s use of the military industrial complex to force stability throughout the region.
Now all of a sudden I feel like we are the third G Dubbz admin, except this time Dick Cheney isn’t hiding out in the mountain fortress in Denver. Cheney is now front and center talking shit and taking names. Nevermind that he and his partner made the mess we have our soldiers lives invested in now. This is why some people like dogs more than humans. Dogs use their teeth to bite through, not to lie through
I’m officially stink-eyeing B. Rack on this one. He basically fronted off this whole shit until the end of his term. Strategic fail considering that he better do as much as he fuckin can while his party runs congress, because we all know the Republican backlash is is coming in the next election. Also as some one living off my weekly $405 due to the economic climate BO could have ushered in a New Deal. With 10% unemployment and lord knows how much “underemployed” why THE FUCK DO WE CARE ABOUT AFGHANISTAN ANY MORE!!!! Seriously if the Dept of Labor told me there were gonna be good jobs out there rebuilding Americas infrastructure I’d be the first to grab a hard hat. But at this rate Baghdad & Kandahar will be built up before Baltimore & Camden. Bring our troops home and let’s work on America because were looking like the Knicks right now.
PS – To all the Barackapologists who say “his hands are tied” or it’s a no win situation stop making excuses.
Fuck it, man.
Barry should have told the General who-ever-it-is-this-month to request 70k-100k more troops. Then send 60k. Draw down the troops in Korea, Germany and Japan, and send them to Afghan-land.
It’s funny how they complain about the cost, but the cost of operating the military will be pretty much the same. E4’s are still gonna get paid their $400 for their 80-120hr work week. You want to cut costs, cut the contractors/mercs who get paid 5-15 times what the guy in uniform gets, and give it to more guys in uniform who can do it better for cheaper.
BTW DP, that dog looks like a Saluki. Or Afghan dinner.
No, but seriously, what’s the problem? Dude said he would a) bomb the Pakistani border regions and b) surge Afghanistan way back during his campaign run. And now he’s walking the walk.
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2009/12/02/obamas-afghanistan-campaign-promises/
It’s like Americans have endemic short-term memory loss or something. Geez.
He hasn’t been in office a full year yet, so he has time to stand & deliver. He’s “cleaning up” quite a big mess, domestically & globally. But, in the words of Bussa Bus, “There’s only 3 years left!”.
If Obama shits on the Public Option, while doing this bogus 30K ADDITIONAL troops & endless Wall Street & Health Industry Welfare…
Mad Dems are gonna stay home or vote 3rd party next election, B.
Way the shyt is going, I hope there’s a Progressive Dem primary challenge for 2012. Even if it fails, it would set the Progressives up for a decent shot in 2016 for once.
how bout a Donna Edwards/Alan Grayson ticket? 2 solid Progressive Dems. Good cop alongside a etherous kick-ass bad cop. Many demographic bases covered, black woman lawyer mathematician alongside jew dude lawyer entrepreneur.
The experts like Prof. Juan Cole say this occupation is pointless now, as there’s under 100 Al Qaedas in Afghanistan that don’t have capabilities to attack abroad. The Afghanis themselves want us to leave. A smart policy would be have a low number of super CIA-steez intelligence & Special Forces/Ninja assasins or drone attacks to target the few Al Qaedas left. Other shyt like warloads beefing, ethnic beefing, etc is Afghani internal biz not ours.
Also, note how Biden was against Afganistan surge, not coincidentally his son served there or Iraq (don’t recall which). Perhaps Michelle O, & Chelsea Clinton should be drafted into the Afghani war; see if Barrack & Hillary will still be so warmongerish. Did Obama cop that Nobel Peace Prize on Apr 1?
Say hello to America’s first one-term black President. And someone, please, how does all this– EVEN IF IT WORKED (which it won’t, just ask a Russian) make New York City safer?
40, I was thinking about what this means to the un- and underemployed; is there at least some Federal effort to get ya’ll (and me) jobs in the defense or diplomacy industry? I type it up a little sloppily here sometimes but I could do tight PR for the USIA…
… uh, if there was still a USIA, which there apparently ain’t.
El Gringo, did you hear Russ Feingold speak yesterday? I only caught part of it but I like what I know. Feingold was also the ONLY Senator to vote against the Patriot Act.
re: Chelsea Clinton, I just want to note, again, her post-college job was (is?) at a HEDGE FUND. Thanks, kid! Maybe she can move to Switzerland and work for Marc Rich next?
I’m no Charles Rangel fan but I think it’s time for him get off the beach chair and start talking about the draft again, just to fuck with the Obama stans.
Or wait, wait– MOVE THE NETS TO ** KANDAHAR ** !!
Nets “owner” Jay would have to clear it with the Russian first but if he’s cool with, I see perfect political synergy. “Rebuild Afghanistan”– even hire Frank Gehry to really do it– with a new arena, first U.S. time overseas, it’s CLOSER to Russia than Vanderbilt & Atlantic…
Just saw this– “What are we fighting for in Afghanistan”?
http://counterpunch.org/fitzgerald11032009.html
***
Excerpt:
Had the president leveled with the American people and talked about ethnic cleansing of Pashtun and Baluch tribal areas by Predator Drones, of Blackwater crimes and targeted assassinations, some might have breathed a sigh of relief. Instead the president weighed in with a well worn mantra by offering as his primary justification for sending more troops that “We did not ask for this fight.”
We did not ask for this fight?
For 60 years the United States played both Pakistan and Afghanistan against each other in a Manichean, dualist game of superpower politics with little regard for the consequences. But like the Soviet Union before it, the cold war assumptions of military power that the United States carried with it into Afghanistan have been rendered useless by the ethnic, political and military complexities of the Afghan/Pakistan region.
Before the United States can hope to win anything in Afghanistan it has to decide what it is fighting for. Is it oil, geostrategic positioning, against terror or just to save face. In the last few years U.S. strategy has broken down to a confused mix, dominated by those wishing to withdraw troops and limit the American commitment to containing Al Qaeda and those favoring a robust counterinsurgency campaign requiring a permanent political and military commitment that would last for decades.
***
Your move, Obama stans.
@WWIB, did not see Feingold speech. However Feingold is the the proverbial “that dude”, a Progressive Dem & politician who has a coherent polcy that is not up for sale, even if he’s 1 of 100 like the Patriot Act vote u mentioned. Would be great if he had Obama’s or bitchass Sen Leader Harry Reid’s job instead of either of these clowns.
1 thing most USians don’t know, I only learned randomly from Thom Hartmann radio. In 2001 the Taliban-rulers of Afghanistan offered to give us Bin Laden & other top Al Qaeda leaders hiding in Afgh to a “neutral 3rd party country” for trial. Of course chickenhawk warmongerers Gee Dubz & Cheney rejected this.
I’m tempted to give BO, Laurence “Shark Levay” Taylor’s “You led, but did anyone follow?” speech from “Any Given Sunday”.
my son Obama is on a preemptive “peace” mission to “save the world”. There aint no way we’re outa there by 2011. If they bring the draft back, im gonna be heated
“If they bring the draft back, im gonna be heated”
But then (under/un)employed cats are going to have a job. . . So it’s win on all sides. . .
^fock that nonsense. What good is a job for an ue dude if he is forced into it via draft, have a high risk of death, or lifelong physical injuries (like paralysis) or mental injuries (like PTSD)? How bout u go fight there urself if u feel it’s such a “win win”?
I have dual citizenship. If they bring back the draft, I’m outta here. Picture me in the hills of St. E, with a stalk of sinsemillia growing in my backyard.
USian construction takes dumb long. I’m guessing they are just behind schedule on the natural gas pipeline deal.
“How bout u go fight there urself if u feel it’s such a “win win”? ”
I did
I think the new Afghan surge is BS BUT let’s not act surprised here. As INFAMOUSE pointed out up top, Obama is doing exactly what he said he was going to do BEFORE he was elected:
“”As president, I would pursue a new strategy, and begin by providing at least two additional combat brigades to support our effort in Afghanistan. We need more troops, more helicopters, better intelligence-gathering and more nonmilitary assistance to accomplish the mission there.” – from
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/14/opinion/14obama.html?_r=2&adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1259960469-OKKLHMEVX3HUClTk4F2EKg
All the naysayers (including myself) should have called foul then.