Gen. McChrystal Declares Afghan Surge a ‘Success’
Cites Territory Seized Before Surge Was Even Announced as Proof
Somewhat of a shocking development, considering the situation in Afghanistan continues to deteriorate, and most of the “surge” troops won’t even arrive for several months, but General Stanley McChrystal today declared the Afghan surge was already a success with “turned the tide” against the Taliban.
Though Gen. McChrystal conceded that the war isn’t entirely won yet, he insisted that considerable progress has been made, citing territory seized in the most recent Helmand Province offensives.
Interestingly enough, those offensives occurred in late summer and autumn, while the escalation wasn’t even announced by President Obama until early December.
While the administration is obviously eager to find evidence of some sort of progress in Afghanistan, it seems to be jumping the gun to declare a surge which has scarcely begun a success, and even less reasonable to cite dubious gains made months before the surge’s announcement as proof.
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Andy
January 12th, 2010 at 5:11 am
What's he smoking?
Robert Fisher
January 12th, 2010 at 6:33 am
He is smoking Zionist enhanced Weed. all he is doing is misleading the tax payers by lying.
Robert Fisher
January 12th, 2010 at 6:38 am
i think he might have stood down wind from a depleted uranium round.
Robert Fisher
January 12th, 2010 at 6:46 am
Pakistan Seen Becoming More Islamist, Anti-US. McChrystal would not even understand that Drone Strikes on innocent Civilians only infuriate the masses. but then the USA is not interested in Peace. only a piece of the financial gain for selling Weapons to impoverished Nations that should be worried about their economic Standard.
John
January 12th, 2010 at 7:59 am
I don't think he was standing down wind from a depleted uranium round but rather it impacted his skull.
oldish_crank
January 12th, 2010 at 11:46 am
Gen. Stanisurge is ad idiot. An arrogant idiot to boot.
Frumpzilla
January 12th, 2010 at 12:24 pm
Oddly enough, the WH just expressed impatience with the amount of time it was taking for the Pentagon to get the surge rolling. McClueless went on the defensive responding that the timeline was never realistic. Guess he figures this pig needs some lipstick . . .
ron jacobs
January 12th, 2010 at 1:16 pm
What? Is he serious? The escalation has barely begun. Standard guerrilla strategy is to fade into the woods while the counterinsurgents waste time going into empty villages or breaking down doors. This man is a strategist?
anti_republocrat
January 12th, 2010 at 3:12 pm
Bingo! It's all about unadvertized institutional imperatives. The true unstated goals are not spreading democracy, stability, fighting terrorism, stealing resources or even unabashed hegemony and empire. We constantly fail at those. But we're successful at the real goals, the institutional imperatives of selling arms to ourselves and others, pork for Congressional districts and career advancement for military brass and foreign policy wonks.
Until the American people and/or foreign governments understand how depraved this is, it will continue.
screeeeeeeaaaaaaaam
January 12th, 2010 at 4:11 pm
During Vietnam, the phrase the generals kept using was 'Light at the end of the tunnel'.
I guess the army pr people retired that one due to all the bad memories. But the message hasn't changed a bit.
But then again, amongst Caesars various regional governors, success probably has more to due with the general's personal power and prestige. Maybe McCrystal sees his presidential hopes rising, so that's why he considers this a success? Or, maybe he sees that he's increasing his personal power with more troops and bigger budget allocations, the goal of any beauracrat seeking power, and that's why he considers it a success? Or, maybe he's just blowing smoke hoping to get even more troops and more money assigned to him?
Either way, we are still pretty much in the same position in Afghanistan that both the Soviets and the British held. We control the cities, but not much of the countryside. How'd that turn out for either of those empires?
screeeeeeeaaaaaaaam
January 12th, 2010 at 4:14 pm
PS …. don't confuse Gen. McCrystal with 'the administration'. These regional commanders are more like independent proconsuls. For instance, I notice he went to Europe a few months ago to argue for his own plan to NATO, and that he did so BEFORE Obama approved his plan. That looks more like a general pursuing his own agenda that it looks like he's just a team player on a team taking orders from the commander in chief.
Personally, I've doubted that we still have civilian control of the military for at least a generation now. The military at times seems to pursue its own policies separate from the civilian government, and will openly oppose the civilian government when it chooses to do so.
screeeeeeeaaaaaaaam
January 12th, 2010 at 4:17 pm
We'd all be so much better off if Gen. McCrystal really would just get stoned. He could do so much less damage if he was just sitting staring at a hash pipe or hooka all day long.
Maybe he'd write some bad poetry, but the odds are he'd kill fewer people that day.
Dedreckoning
January 12th, 2010 at 5:34 pm
You said:
"Personally, I've doubted that we still have civilian control of the military for at least a generation now. The military at times seems to pursue its own policies separate from the civilian government, and will openly oppose the civilian government when it chooses to do so."
You are correct. Rogue generals in the Kennedy Pentagon supplied Israel with several nuclear weapons and the components/ability to produce more in 1962. This after an adamant refusal by JFK and a warning to his generals that their request for supplying Israel WMD would destabilize the entire Middle East.
The traitorous generals supplied their friends in Israel with the weapons in spite of JFK's orders.
When Kennedy discovered their insubordination and treason he threatened Ben Gurian with a cut off of funds forever if the Nuclear weapons were not returned. Kennedy was dead in Nov of 63 before his orders could have been realized.
louis a goretti
January 12th, 2010 at 5:58 pm
robert if you are a american then get the hell out of my usa you rag head loving pig
John
January 12th, 2010 at 6:50 pm
If the afghan surge is a success, why do we need more troops that have not yet been deployed at $1,000,000.00 per year per troop?
matthewgood.org » Archive » From All Over
January 12th, 2010 at 11:58 am
[...] there we jump back into the present and travel to Afghanistan where US General Stan McCrystal is declaring the Afghan ‘surge’ a success. Aren’t they [...]
jeff davis
January 12th, 2010 at 9:49 pm
McChrystal is a fifty-five year old three star. This is the final act in his career. His last shot at glory. What's he gonna say? "We're losing."?, or "I'm in charge and we're losing."? or " We're losing even though Obama gave me what I said I needed to win."?, or " I can't win this thing."? Of course not. So he says the only thing he can say: "We're winning." Which is just exactly what he'll be saying when the helicopters take off from the roof of the US embassy in Kabul evacuating the last of the diplomatic staff.
Same old same old.
Andron
January 12th, 2010 at 10:14 pm
Wow!!
Ain't this brilliant.
Now we can bring the troops home.
AVietnamWarVet
January 12th, 2010 at 10:24 pm
The General needs to see a shrink – actually, he needs to be FIRED!
Sunil
January 12th, 2010 at 10:51 pm
Can the news of the months it will take for surge in troops in Afghanistan be a deliberate ploy by the US government to fool the Taliban.
Whats makes you think that a lot of the surge is not there already. After all, that was the crux of Obamas agreement to the surge.