A majority of Americans say the U.S. should withdraw all of its troops from Afghanistan before the 2014 deadline set by the Obama administration, according to a new poll.
The CNN/ORC International survey released Friday indicated only 25% of Americans support the war in Afghanistan, a new all time low. Most Republicans even voiced opposition to it, an unprecedented detail in the entirety of the decade-long war.
In denial of the abundant evidence of failure, a full 34% of those surveyed amazingly said America is winning the war.
The steep decline in support for the war has something to do with a number of high profile outrages occurring one after the other. In recent months, U.S. soldiers were video-recorded urinating on Afghan corpses, U.S. soldiers burned Muslim holy books, prompting nationwide protests, and the latest controversy comes from the savage massacre of 17 Afghan civilians by Staff Sgt. Robert Bales and possibly several more unnamed criminals.
“We cannot fight wars by polls,” Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said on Tuesday. “If we do that we’re in deep trouble. We have to operate based on what we believe is the best strategy to achieve the mission that we are embarked on. And the mission here is to safeguard our country by ensuring that the Taliban and al Qaeda never again find a safe haven in Afghanistan.”
This statement, coming from a Democratic administration, echoes almost verbatim the infamous statement from former vice president Dick Cheney when asked to respond to the low public support for the Iraq war, saying “you cannot be blown off course by the fluctuations in public opinion.” When Cheney said it, most liberals exploded in outrage. Apparently it’s acceptable so long as the president is on the blue team.
Uncle Leon maintains there's a "strategy to achieve the mission that we are embarked on." Really? What the hell might that be Mr. Big Nose? Afghaniscam? Oh merciful sacks of rancid bullsh*t SecDef Bozo, shut up and give the American people just a slight slice of credit. More than ten years in and America gots squat in the Afghaniscam. Shut up Leon, shut up and do it now. Please to not embarrass yourself any longer nor to think the American people are THAT stupid.
What can you expect, Skulz? The man is a company suit down to the sub atomic level. What you or I think means nothing to him and his unless they feel personally threatened. Then watch the little piggies fly. ( cue Beatles – I Am The Walrus )
luckily we live in a strong democracy so something as trivial as the will of the people shall not slow down the march of progress.
WHo cares what the American people think? Why bother even taking these polls? Clearly the US government doesn't care what the American people think. The average American has about as much influence over their government as the average citizen of the Soviet Union did over theirs.
if we stop fighting terrorist, they will keep on killing americans anyway.they have did it many times since 1970 and we let them get by with it up until 911.have you all forgotten they attacked us on american soil? when all them learn that americans will not stop killing them is the day we stop fighting terrorist.the only way to stop them is to kill them over there .if we do not they will come back to america and kill us here.which will it be?do we let our servicemen do what they are trained to do or do we let them come here and kill people that are not trained to kill?either way the price we pay for our freedoms is with life.
timmy wilburn: …….yeah buddy, we must have missed that. Here's the thing: we aren't attacking terrorists. BUT, we're making more of them by attacking countries and people who had nothing to do with 911. Even providing future training grounds by overthrowing stable secular regimes like in Libya, Also known as future terrorist training ground #3.
Comment from General Paul Van Riper : "Here's an analogy, perhaps a strange, strained analogy. Let's suppose you were mugged on a street in your neighborhood and you had no idea who the mugger was. You may be suspicious, but you weren't sure. But there was another neighbor you didn't like. You'd had a lot of quarrels with him, and so you decide, "I'm going to solve this problem because I'm going to go burn down that neighbor's house." There's no connection. That's how I equate going after Iraq for what happened on 9/11 or trying to make that case."
….I'm guessing you think that makes sense. Sane people question this policy.
Leon Pannetta wouldn't even believe the god or any god in conscious form telling him the truth that this world is round, is not flat, although some American and European politicians still think so, and that Afghanistan nor Syrian nor the Iranian war where EU – US racial or militarism supremacy nor their animosity toward these countries going to work, but last i checked non of these politicians with a falsified degree in democracy in hand are conscious enough to see the truth. What they believe is the problem for the American and people around the world, what they believe is the reason for being at war, engaging in falsified democracy wanting another war is the reason not what people say, if they did care about people and they're saying, the world would truly be a better place for people to live.
It's amazing that it has taken nearly 11 years for the American public to see what was already obvious before the war began, and absolutely disgusting that very few politicians and foreign policy intellectuals have acknowledged it yet. This is a story of corporate greed, political and military corruption, and journalistic cravenness and servility to authority.
Yes 2014…glad the Obomba Admin. could make that crucial decision for the "majority".
http://tinyurl.com/bojlvkc
"…ensuring that the Taliban and al Qaeda never again find a safe haven in Afghanistan…"
Let's try an analogy…Hey paisan!, how about this…what if the mission were to "ensure that the Republicans and Tea Partiers never again find a safe haven in the US"…what are the odds you'd be successful? Pretty slim, eh? You do realize that the Taliban, however neanderthal and misogynistic they might be, are in reality just another a political/religious party – just like the Republicans here. You do realize that, right?
You putz. The "mission" you claim is not the real mission – the real mission had never officially or publically been stated – and probably never will – God forbid you let the citizen taxpayers know what they're buying.
Sorry but the idea that the Democrats aren't supporting the same exact polices. Worse, they get some to rationalize a powerful unconstitutional government by claiming the "living and breathing constitution" thing. Then both "sides" collaborate with more interventions and more domestic control by the government.
The initial objective of the war was to catch OSAMA dead or alive. If the taliban surrendered OSAMA then, there would not be a war. One should remember that BUSH asked taliban for osama, and taliban requested for evident of Osama 9/11 involvement before they give OSAMA . In fact BUSH has different objective instead. It now clear that BUSH/ AMERICAN is trying to occupy afghanistan.
A U.S. Army soldier died Saturday, March 31, in Logar province. The fourth U.S. soldier to die in three days fighting in Afghanistan.