Friday, March 27, 2009

Disrupt , Dismantle and Defeat - And Deluded.


Yes, the Venus Flytrap Is a Metaphor
Mark today on your calendar folks... Today is the day that the Obama Administration went the wrong way in Afghanistan. Much like their view on the economy, where the view to end a recession is to spend your way put of it, they are doing the same in Afghanistan.
To try and turn around a going bad there, they have decided to start increasing the troop levels there. This is a departure of Obama saying that an exit strategy needed to be implemented for Afghanistan. That was a week ago. There are currently 65,000 total troops in Afghanistan, half of which are from the US. When the Soviet Union invaded the country in 1979, they used twice as many troops. They stayed for 12 years before finally realizing that a war there was unwinnable. How long will we be there?
I know what you're saying - "Mike, you big pussy. The surge worked in Iraq, why wouldn't it work here." Simple - Iraq is a desert. This is a country of impassable mountains, with no roads, and a country that universally has a history of being invaded. They hate foreigners, and most importantly, they have a safe haven right across the border in Pakistan, where the Pakistani government has no control, and no real desire to stop religious extremism.
Whether I agreed with the methods or not, Barack Obama did one thing right - he focused on the economy . Now , it appears that they're trying to fix everythign all at once. A major part of his plan to reduce the budget deficit was leaving Iraq, but transferring the expense to Afghanistan throws that plan right down the drain.
Another big part of the plan involves cooperation from many NATO countries, based on goodwill. That only goes so far, and with most of these countries having their own economic problems, how much support can we count on?
Sometimes, you just have to realize that we cannot stamp out ALL evil in the world. There's just too much of it to waste money and lives with bloated and overexposed troop counts. I've suggetsed this for awhile, and I still believe it is the best plan. Forget about a huge presence, just go covert and small, and pick off the leadership one by one, limiting it's size and influence..
Al-Qaeda got smart, saw the writing on the wall in Iraq, and went back to it's home. The trap is set. Whether we step in it is our choice, and Obama seems to be intent on sticking his big toe in...
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1 comment:

mg said...

need to nuke them there mountains