With President Obama busily preparing a public address to inform the American public that the Afghan War is now a runaway success and to release a “public version” of the official assessment of the war, his administration is getting another pesky reminder that the actual war isn’t going near so well as the public statements would suggest.
An open letter was released today, signed by a number of experts and analysts, warning that the Afghan War has failed, that Gen. Petraeus’ southern offensive is “not going well,” and that the administration should save face and negotiate a settlement with the Taliban.
The letter is largely in keeping with the reality from a myriad of recent reports on the war, including a Congressional report noting spiraling violence and a “surprisingly resilient” insurgency. Indeed, the death toll in 2010 was precipitously higher than any other year of the war.
When he announced his massive December escalation last year, President Obama promised a year end review and a major reexamining of the conflict if the war wasn’t going significantly better. By all accounts, it is going much, much worse now. But all he really needs is a false claim of success, and that is exactly what officials are going to provide on Thursday.
yeah usually inter office memos have a 2 1/2 inch indent and are blue on black,quack,quack,quack,,,
Every American needs to read that letter.
To my understanding, the Taliban doesn't negotiate. After all, why should they?; they're winning. Obama administration should humble itself, and exit Afghanistan as fast as it can.
The U.S. military machine is exposed yet again as a paper tiger. A handful of robed warriors carrying rifles defeat the greatest army in the history of the world.
What a humiliation! Imagine what the Taliban could do if it had Armed Forces!
http://www.dangerouscreation.com
9/11 was a 1 day war, likely allowed to happen by the criminal Bush government, Israel had a 6 day war, so a 1 day has a precedent. It was a humiliating defeat for the USG/Pentagram and since then the USG has been engaged in Bush's temper tantrum. 19 men some with box cutters thoroughly defeated the self professed greatest military of all history.
The problem of some Americans is that they cannot understand why those people in Afghanistan do not want to have occupiers who wants to force to some kind of Western style "democracy" where they will have to live under dictators like people in Egypt, Jordan, Kuweit, Saudi Arabia,
or now Iraq. That they are not eager to drink Coca Cola and eat Burgers and watch all day long Fox News and cheap sitcoms.
W
You forgot the robe wearing worriors don't wear shoes but sandals while each US soldier uniform cost 14000 $$$. Hence, the Afghani fighters fight on empty stomach while the US soldiers don't fight on empty stomach. It's well known fact by historians and psycologist that fatten men don't fight well, while the hungry ones got the well to fight. US soldiers live on fine steak & lobsters and ice cream with chocolate, apple pie as dessert.
Hunger makes you cranky.
Yeah, I hear that the army is feeding them shrimp from the Gulf now. Slightly oil but, hey, it's got more proteins.
I would say, that we are witnessing a war between two different versions of a society. One side fighting with spin and borrowed money. The other with convictions of the lower human value of a future society based on spin. It seems that the party with the moral is indeed the military weaker one. And the other side does not grasp that fact at all, since the first victims of spin seems to be those using it and betting their life and (lack of) conviction on that.
So one obstacle to the military with superior forces is, that they are fighting with information that has proven much less than certain again and again. AS A CONSEQUENCE OF THEIR OWN DISHONESTY THEY GET DISHONEST PEOPLE TO ASSIST THEM.
Now, what is at stake is the home population. If they persist in their war of lies, they risk losing the trust in spin of their home population. If they give up, they might risk the same too. So what will they choose. A rational give up of the war, or a open-ended prolongation.?
When answering that, you have to see yourself as a caught liar. And the answer is easy: You choose that solution, that gives YOU the arms to eventually use against some home population revolts. That is to continue the war no matter how insane that one seems. As long as you and your lying coward comrades can keep themselves safe against reality and honesty and life itself.
I have news for the Americans and their military, getting into thbe bathroom is one story but getting out is a totally different beast. They should be aware and ready when they find out that they cannot stop what they started at will, there will be a price they will pay and it will be a very big one.
You mean bigger than a trillion dollars, the collapse of their economy, their complete loss of civil liberties and the fall of their Empire?
What is never talked about why NATO/EU reason/motives in the Afghistan invasion .USA blames it on9/II attacks but what excuse does the sidekicks use? Daaah!
Europe needs cheap oil supplies and USA is the hired gun. Note: USA depends on Ven/Canada's massive oil wealth.Hardly no M.E. oil is shipped to USA
Why would they do that? They have no concern how many Americans die or how many 10's of thousands of Afghan civillians get slaughtered. They are making $$ of this joke of a war and the American Public are too lazy and stupid to give a damn.
I saw that Ahmed Rashid is on the list. Rashid, as shown from his copious writing, is not against the surge, but in the way Obama has confused the Afghans.
If the surge really is not working though, I hope Obama has the will to stand up against the Pentagon.
NPR had a pretty good report on Afghanistan the other day.
I hope you realize that nothing that NPR says can be trusted or relied on. They're paid for Bank of America and the likes of them. Caveat emptor.
I see 'it' coming … 20 years hence a new generation of fat guys on motorcycles will emerge … and tell everyone who will listen how "they coulda won in 'ghanistan" and "Taliban never won a battle ag'in us" , "we'da won if it wasn't for them anti-war cowards who stabbed us in the back", and, of course, "inside every Moslem was an American trying to get out."
The surge ain't working, eh? I wonder what gave that one away.
Hey, Johnny, what the hell you mean, "The surge ain't working". Just look around you. It's workin' just fine. It's workin on our bank accounts and on our deficits. It's workin' us out of jobs. It's workin', dude, it's workin'. After all, "War is good for the economy".
I can't possibly argue with you. In that respect, the surge is a success beyond their wildest dreams, at least for now. We'll see what they think when the Empire collapses.
This war ain’t never gonna end as long as money is being made on the war.