» posted on Wednesday, December 2nd, 2009 at 4:54 pm by Damien Baldino
Barack Obama’s plan for Afghanistan
I’m glad to hear that Barack Obama has decided to send an additional 30,000 soldiers to Afghanistan, and is planning on convincing NATO forces to add the other 10,000 soldiers requested by General McChrystal. I’ve heard and read a lot of criticism about this decision, but it is the right one.
More than 8 years after the 9/11 attacks, it seems that some of the anger has faded. It’s sad to say, but true. The United States needs to go after the remaining Al-Qaeda members, hopefully capturing Osama Bin Laden in the process. In addition to pursuing terrorists, it’s important that Afghanistan’s government is as capable as possible in order to assure that the country doesn’t fall to the same level of lawlessness characteristic of the Taliban’s rule. This actually seems like the toughest part of the mission, and I have my doubts, but any improvement in this area will be welcomed. Finally, we have the threat that Pakistan could pose.
It seems that the importance of Pakistan is usually overlooked by the typical American. Osama Bin Laden is allegedly hiding in western Pakistan, and the country has nuclear weapons. What if these weapons fell into the hands of terrorists? This possibility alone should be enough to convince Americans of the importance of this mission.
As for the 18 month time-line, I’m undecided. It’s an important mission, and I wouldn’t want to see it cut short if the situation still requires U.S. intervention in 18 months. On the other hand, I also don’t want to see the U.S. spend 10 years holding Afghanistan’s hand. At some point, they need to develop an effective military, keep terrorism under control, and maintain a stable government. We need to ensure that terrorists are brought to justice and prevented from carrying out more attacks, but we don’t need help build Afghanistan for any longer than is absolutely necessary.
filed under Politics · Terrorism | one Comment | tags: 9/11, Afghanistan, Barack Obama, Pakistan, Terrorism
One Response to “Barack Obama’s plan for Afghanistan”
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Tom Degan said:
Dec 03, 09 at 4:09 pmTake this to the bank:
We will lose the war in Afghanistan. Just as in Iraq, every serviceman or woman who has died there has died for no reason. Russia and merrie old England learned this lesson a long time ago. You would think….Never mind.
Suffice to say, on my best day I do not receive one tenth of the information that President Obama receives. I don't read any of the Presidential Daily Briefings that are placed on his desk every morning. Obviously he is in possession of a wealth of intelligence that you and I are just not privy to. Maybe we should be giving him the benefit of the doubt – and I have been doing just that, I promise you. But from my vantage point it appears to me that this president has failed to learn the lessons that have been passed onto us down the decades by the administrations of Franklin Delano Rossevelt and Lyndon Baines Johnson – lessons involving bold action in times of economic crisis (more on that another day) and the utter folly of waging wars that cannot be won.
Let this be etched in stone:
Any country that would view its women as inferior beings not entitled to basic human rights is not worth one drop of ANYBODY'S blood.
I want to believe in this president. He is the chief executive I worked harder to elect than any other in my lifetime. I realize that it is simply far too early in this administration to write a final assessment of his term of office. That being said, my confidence in the Obama White House is ebbing rapidly. Where in the hell is all of this change I could believe in? Is the Bush Mob still in charge? What gives?
NOTE TO THE RIGHT WING:
No, I am still exceedingly grateful that John McCain and Gidget von Braun did not win the election last year. Have another sip.
http://www.tomdegan.blogspot.com
Tom Degan
Goshen NY