Newly leaked memos related to the 2009 escalation of the war in Afghanistan have put President Obama’s decision in an even worse light, with the revelation that Vice President Joe Biden penned a memo warning him that the plan wasn’t “viable.” Even more shocking is the revelation that President Obama knew of a CIA assessment that warned against the surge, and “purposely did not read it” before approving the massive escalation.
The new information is included in the upcoming book Little America by Rajiv Chandrasekaran. The Associated Press got an advanced copy of the book and revealed the new information.
Biden’s memo centered on the idea that, while confident that more troops would be able to chase insurgents from villages, the Afghan government was still not credible, nor able to actual secure any of those “gains.” He recommended a smaller escalation.
In practice even Biden’s assessment was a bit rosy. The surge dramatically increased the death toll in Afghanistan, but here in summer 2012, all of the same problems present in summer 2009 remain, and perhaps have worsened in some ways. Though officials are publicly claiming “progress” the administration has signed a pact with Afghan President Hamid Karzai to keep troops on the ground in Afghanistan through 2024.
Three Marines died in Helmand on Friday, June 22, and Saturday the 23rd, 2012. Helmand province was where the success of the surge in 2009 was to be measured.
DoD reports another Marine died in combat on Saturday, June 23rd for a two day total of four U.S. Marines dead in Helmand province. The DoD does not reveal the cause of death in Helmand.
Democrats have long and loudly brayed that Bush lied and embroiled us in a foolish and illegal war in Iraq–as he did. However, we now know that Obama also disregarded important intelligence in his decision to escalate the war.
At the time the Moron Tabernacle Choir wearing the uniforms were singing the loudest. Petraeus, McCrystle and the rest of the warrior monks wanted a 'kinetic' solution … and they guaranteed it. Obama, not wanting to be thie first black president to 'lose' a war, went with the vict'ry crapshoot. They were wrong.
So were Biden and the CIA. They thought it was a great idea when Bushco invaded Afghanistan. And that's the real issue. America's problem is how to get out. Everything else is anti-climax.
"President Obama has signed an agreement with Afghan President Hamid Karzai to keep US troops in country until 2024." Am I missing something? What in the Hell are we even doing in Afghanistan? Afghanistan had NOTHING to do with 9/11. The US told Pakistan they would attack Afghanistan at a summer conference in Berlin months prior to 9/11, our stated justification for going to war. Regime change in Afghanistan, designed to facilitate negotiations for US success with the securing of lucrative construction and development projects in the Amu Darya Basin for the Trans-Afghan-Pipeline or TAP, from Turkmenistan to Pakistan's coast port at Gwadar negotiations was the real as opposed to the rhetorical motivation. Let's be honest and work with the Afghans as equal partners in the TAP development scheme before China and Russia beat us to the punch while we dither and worry over a non-existent al-Qaeda that poses a non-existent threat to the US.
In one of his recent articles in CounterPunch Mr Paul Craig Roberts had stated something close to this: We’re not in wars to win them; we’re in wars to make money. Otherwise how do you explain a first-rate, modern military be bogged down by a ragtag force like Taliban for 10 years? Makes sense, does it not?
It may be worse than bogged down. There is evidence that the U.S. military is being defeated militarily on at least a tactical level in Afghanistan. IED's and suicide bombings, infiltration of the Afghan police and Army. This might explain the obsession by team Obama to strike back in some way with drone strikes.
Just another domino.
Designed to assure that the Cabals get their old man Obama out, and their new man Romney in.