To begin with we were fighting to oust the Taliban and find Mr Bin Laden Then we got distracted by Iraq, fumbled about what do with all this poppy growing, killed one too many poor Afghans accidentally, and allowed the Taliban to reassert themselves (partially) as 'defenders' of Afghanistan.JackB1 wrote: My only beef I still have with Obama is his penchant for sending more troops to Afghanistan. I would like to hear what the entire plan and or mission is for that country. We don't need to escalate another open ended quagmire, with no exit strategy. Justify the reason to escalate the war in Afghanistan and explain to me what we are trying to accomplish there, Obama. All he has said is we need "more troops" there. We have heard that one before.
Now we 'cannot leave' because the elected but rather ineffectual and wildly corrupt Karzi government would probably collapse, leaving the poor Afghans back with the Taliban,except in the North where for ethnic reasons they would probably be effectively resisted. In other words it is all terribly complicated and I doubt there is anyone with any sense who imagines that they have a solution. Especially if you are an Afghan. That's my take.
Here's Obama's take. http://www.barackobama.com/2007/08/01/t ... to_win.php
Here is just a few tidbits. Please read his entire plan.
Because of a war in Iraq that should never have been authorized and should never have been waged, we are now less safe than we were before 9/11.
According to the National Intelligence Estimate, the threat to our homeland from al Qaeda is "persistent and evolving." Iraq is a training ground for terror, torn apart by civil war. Afghanistan is more violent than it has been since 2001. Al Qaeda has a sanctuary in Pakistan. Israel is besieged by emboldened enemies, talking openly of its destruction. Iran is now presenting the broadest strategic challenge to the United States in the Middle East in a generation. Groups affiliated with or inspired by al Qaeda operate worldwide. Six years after 9/11, we are again in the midst of a "summer of threat," with bin Ladin and many more terrorists determined to strike in the United States.
It is time to turn the page. When I am President, we will wage the war that has to be won, with a comprehensive strategy with five elements: getting out of Iraq and on to the right battlefield in Afghanistan and Pakistan; developing the capabilities and partnerships we need to take out the terrorists and the world's most deadly weapons; engaging the world to dry up support for terror and extremism; restoring our values; and securing a more resilient homeland.
The first step must be getting off the wrong battlefield in Iraq, and taking the fight to the terrorists in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
As President, I would make the hundreds of millions of dollars in U.S. military aid to Pakistan conditional, and I would make our conditions clear: Pakistan must make substantial progress in closing down the training camps, evicting foreign fighters, and preventing the Taliban from using Pakistan as a staging area for attacks in Afghanistan.
I understand that President Musharraf has his own challenges. But let me make this clear. There are terrorists holed up in those mountains who murdered 3,000 Americans. They are plotting to strike again. It was a terrible mistake to fail to act when we had a chance to take out an al Qaeda leadership meeting in 2005. If we have actionable intelligence about high-value terrorist targets and President Musharraf won't act, we will.
And Pakistan needs more than F-16s to combat extremism. As the Pakistani government increases investment in secular education to counter radical madrasas, my Administration will increase America's commitment. We must help Pakistan invest in the provinces along the Afghan border, so that the extremists' program of hate is met with one of hope. And we must not turn a blind eye to elections that are neither free nor fair -- our goal is not simply an ally in Pakistan, it is a democratic ally.
Beyond Pakistan, there is a core of terrorists -- probably in the tens of thousands -- who have made their choice to attack America. So the second step in my strategy will be to build our capacity and our partnerships to track down, capture or kill terrorists around the world, and to deny them the world's most dangerous weapons.
I will not hesitate to use military force to take out terrorists who pose a direct threat to America. This requires a broader set of capabilities, as outlined in the Army and Marine Corps's new counter-insurgency manual. I will ensure that our military becomes more stealth, agile, and lethal in its ability to capture or kill terrorists. We need to recruit, train, and equip our armed forces to better target terrorists, and to help foreign militaries to do the same. This must include a program to bolster our ability to speak different languages, understand different cultures, and coordinate complex missions with our civilian agencies.
JackB1 wrote:On a side note, did anyone know that we are now entering the Pakistan border in a last ditch effort to find Bin Laden? And that Pakistan is firing on our choppers? What happens when they take one down and there are sizable American casualties there? What then?
Jack we have been going into Pakistan since 02. We just can't go in deep enough to get who we want, that started to changed in the last year. Please don't say it's a last ditch effort because no matter who becomes President the hunt for Bin Laden will continue. As well it should.
