What advice do you have for President Obama about the war in Afghanistan?
12 Comments
Howard Bouchard said:
I would tell President Obama that he should make the decision about the Afganistan war based upon the information given to him by Gen. McCrystal, whom he himself appointed this spring for just that reason: And not upon this poll, the media, far left - far right, General Biden or any other poll he may consult. He won the election so now he needs to do what's right and worry about getting re-elected upon that alone.
dave said:
spot on Howard
Janet said:
Provide reasons for Afganis not to join the Taliban by providing ways to earn a living for their families, infrastructure built primarily by Afgani's, not US contractors, a chance at an education and hopefully chance to have faith in their own government. The latter needs to be honest and hard working. Don't let the CIA undermine the goverment by paying war lords under the table as it did at the beginning of the war.
DAB said:
It's the old Kenny Rogers philosophy!!!
You got to know when to hold um, know when to fold um, know when to walk away, and know when to run. Two things. Remember Viat Nam. Second, either get in and do it right or get the hell out. The blood of our young men and women are not worth politics, or pussy footing around.
tars said:
Generals do not lose wars. Presidents and Congress lose wars. Go ahead and lose this war too.
Whistle Berries said:
Hmmm...
The Soviet Union/Russians had a terrible outcome in Afghanistan. During NINE YEARS, the Soviets suffered almost 15,000 killed and 14,000 wounded, and, at a horrendous financial cost. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_war_in_Afghanistan
To many, it looks like the U.S. is heading in the same direction, while fighting the same type of Muslim fundamentalist enemies…
It is amazing how a third world country, without all the fancy hoohaa weaponry, can whip the daylights out of the mighty superpowers - the plain old fashioned way.
They work at it every day. They attack their enemy by surprise, when they least expect it, and then, they vanish back into the obscurity of the remote countryside or mountains, where they hide until the next attack.
By now, it is very apparent that the U.S. military does not have an effective counter to the guerilla tactics used by the Taleban.
President Obama needs to wake up our military leaders and challenge them to come up with a new direction, an effective plan, to eradicate the unseen, hard to find, enemy.
Either that, or, the U.S. needs to do a complete withdrawal from Afghanistan, and let the Afghani people deal with their situation.
If the Taleban persists, and wins control, and insists on a 14TH century Muslim feudal system for Afghani society, then that’s the way it would be for the people of Afghanistan.
If the Afghani people are not willing to help themselves, there is no point in the U.S. staying and trying to do anything to try to help them.
Who was the genius in charge of perimeter defenses for the U.S. outpost the Taleban overran the other day?
With all the modern U.S. weaponry, and surveilance gadgets, how was such a thing possible? The whole thing is becoming one big embarrassment, of military incompetence.
At some point, one must realize, "You know what? This is not working, and no matter what we try to do, it is not going to work. We need to leave, now, rather than later."
Drew said:
I would suggest he take a lesson from past history and realize that when The Soviet Union had spent eight years in occupation of Afghanistan
it cost them their country and eastern block superiority as it had been, just as it is costing America now! The longer we stay the more we loose and the enemy, the enemy just crosses the border to the next country and blends in again. We win by returning home and building America strong again here in our country helping our people not waging an endless war for what? For What?
DAB said:
Drew you are so correct.
A Mosher said:
Be aware of Vizzini's comment in the movie the Princes Bride.
He said:
You fool! You fell victim to one of the classic blunders - The most famous of which is "never get involved in a land war in Asia"
B. Alexander said:
How to defeat 90% of the Taliban, and restore a democratic gov. to Afganistan in
one (1) year or less.
You first have to identify your enemy. In this case, the enemy is not a
country. It has no central capital, no industrial base, no center core for
military or economic supplies, or standard distribution network as a country
would have had. Also There is no "single" front line militarily to attack or fight,
no headquarters and supply depots. It is a waste of time, money, and lives to put
large numbers of troops at this type of enemy. You only haft to look back as far as
Russia of the 90's to see that. Shock and awe is not the answer here.
This enemy is made up of individuals, no matter how few or many, that
have united for a cause. they are made up of "groups of individuals". Some
groups just a few, some groups many. But no central core, no particular city
or building is an enemy here. Only "individuals with ideas that we cant get along
or exist together.
1) Take a thousand civilians, give them all laptops and put them in a building
right in the center of Washington. They are going to set up the field. Set up 1
wall in the middle of this building make it 10 ft. high and 30 ft long. Draw the mountains of af.
and N Pak. on the wall. Then your thousand people will start the new google earth
map. This is not a street map, this is a land map. You want 3 things on this map-
every building; every plant; every person. Created just like google Earth but with
live satalite feeds & drones directly to our laptops. Roads will be filled in later as time
progresses or need arises. Mark where every house, church, shop, farm and ranch is.
If there is 3 people at a a spot mark it as such, and so on to get the majority of
the people. and MOST importantly mark where every opium crop is. Opium brings no
income to the af. gov.(except maybe bribes), but this is where most of the income
of the talabon comes from. Give them a couple of weeks to get this map going good.
2) Take 10,000 soldiers and start eraticating all the opium plants and fields
that can be located. If you can read newspapers from sky, every plant can be found
and burned. Now this will draw immediate reaction but 10,000 troops can handle any
local uprising from farmers, and guards.
3) Now go the the UN and tell them we have a country that is broke, hungry,
and needs an economy to become selfsufficient. Now return to that country as UN, or
whatever. Tell all people, if you are hungry, we will feed you,clothe you whatever.
If they want to start a farm, we will give you seed, help you build a tannery or
shoe shop, similiar to africa's $200 dollar microbusinesses; but if
you pick up a gun, you die.
4) Return back to our map now. The Op. crops are all burning, and we are kick-
starting a new economy. Now is the time to elimiate the Taliban. These "individuals",
have the same needs any army would, food and supplies. Burning the fields is a good
long term solution, but there plenty of goods in the supply chain now. thats what
the daily map picture is for. They are not being suppied by a home city or country.
They are buying their food and weapons on the open or black market.
Googling, we know where every bullet and gun is made, and where every bucket and
barrel of food is at. We watch, and whenever something goes in a direction where
nobody suppose to be. we snatch it up. And we snatch up every piece of bread, cloth-
ing, and gun, that appears to be heading for our uncivilized enemy. Without food
and supplies they haft to come out eventually, and they have a choice; join the
new economy and be a constructive member of society(whatever country they choose
to be in), or pick up a gun and die.
Without food and supplies, what will be left of the Taliban after a few months?
B. Alexander said:
How to defeat 90% of the Taliban, and restore a democratic gov. to Afganistan in
one (1) year or less.
You first have to identify your enemy. In this case, the enemy is not a
country. It has no central capital, no industrial base, no center core for
military or economic supplies, or standard distribution network as a country
would have had. Also There is no "single" front line militarily to attack or fight,
no headquarters and supply depots. It is a waste of time, money, and lives to put
large numbers of troops at this type of enemy. You only haft to look back as far as
Russia of the 90's to see that. Shock and awe is not the answer here.
This enemy is made up of individuals, no matter how few or many, that
have united for a cause. they are made up of "groups of individuals". Some
groups just a few, some groups many. But no central core, no particular city
or building is an enemy here. Only "individuals with ideas that we cant get along
or exist together.
1) Take a thousand civilians, give them all laptops and put them in a building
right in the center of Washington. They are going to set up the field. Set up 1
wall in the middle of this building make it 10 ft. high and 30 ft long. Draw the mountains of af.
and N Pak. on the wall. Then your thousand people will start the new google earth
map. This is not a street map, this is a land map. You want 3 things on this map-
every building; every plant; every person. Created just like google Earth but with
live satalite feeds & drones directly to our laptops. Roads will be filled in later as time
progresses or need arises. Mark where every house, church, shop, farm and ranch is.
If there is 3 people at a a spot mark it as such, and so on to get the majority of
the people. and MOST importantly mark where every opium crop is. Opium brings no
income to the af. gov.(except maybe bribes), but this is where most of the income
of the talabon comes from. Give them a couple of weeks to get this map going good.
2) Take 10,000 soldiers and start eraticating all the opium plants and fields
that can be located. If you can read newspapers from sky, every plant can be found
and burned. Now this will draw immediate reaction but 10,000 troops can handle any
local uprising from farmers, and guards.
3) Now go the the UN and tell them we have a country that is broke, hungry,
and needs an economy to become selfsufficient. Now return to that country as UN, or
whatever. Tell all people, if you are hungry, we will feed you,clothe you whatever.
If they want to start a farm, we will give you seed, help you build a tannery or
shoe shop, similiar to africa's $200 dollar microbusinesses; but if
you pick up a gun, you die.
4) Return back to our map now. The Op. crops are all burning, and we are kick-
starting a new economy. Now is the time to elimiate the Taliban. These "individuals",
have the same needs any army would, food and supplies. Burning the fields is a good
long term solution, but there plenty of goods in the supply chain now. thats what
the daily map picture is for. They are not being suppied by a home city or country.
They are buying their food and weapons on the open or black market.
Googling, we know where every bullet and gun is made, and where every bucket and
barrel of food is at. We watch, and whenever something goes in a direction where
nobody suppose to be. we snatch it up. And we snatch up every piece of bread, cloth-
ing, and gun, that appears to be heading for our uncivilized enemy. Without food
and supplies they haft to come out eventually, and they have a choice; join the
new economy and be a constructive member of society(whatever country they choose
to be in), or pick up a gun and die.
Without food and supplies, what will be left of the Taliban after a few months?
kyaiyo said:
I would fire him, congress and all those responsible for war, and dedicate the associated monies to peace and healthcare.
I would tell President Obama that he should make the decision about the Afganistan war based upon the information given to him by Gen. McCrystal, whom he himself appointed this spring for just that reason: And not upon this poll, the media, far left - far right, General Biden or any other poll he may consult. He won the election so now he needs to do what's right and worry about getting re-elected upon that alone.
spot on Howard
Provide reasons for Afganis not to join the Taliban by providing ways to earn a living for their families, infrastructure built primarily by Afgani's, not US contractors, a chance at an education and hopefully chance to have faith in their own government. The latter needs to be honest and hard working. Don't let the CIA undermine the goverment by paying war lords under the table as it did at the beginning of the war.
It's the old Kenny Rogers philosophy!!!
You got to know when to hold um, know when to fold um, know when to walk away, and know when to run. Two things. Remember Viat Nam. Second, either get in and do it right or get the hell out. The blood of our young men and women are not worth politics, or pussy footing around.
Generals do not lose wars. Presidents and Congress lose wars. Go ahead and lose this war too.
Hmmm...
The Soviet Union/Russians had a terrible outcome in Afghanistan. During NINE YEARS, the Soviets suffered almost 15,000 killed and 14,000 wounded, and, at a horrendous financial cost. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_war_in_Afghanistan
To many, it looks like the U.S. is heading in the same direction, while fighting the same type of Muslim fundamentalist enemies…
It is amazing how a third world country, without all the fancy hoohaa weaponry, can whip the daylights out of the mighty superpowers - the plain old fashioned way.
They work at it every day. They attack their enemy by surprise, when they least expect it, and then, they vanish back into the obscurity of the remote countryside or mountains, where they hide until the next attack.
By now, it is very apparent that the U.S. military does not have an effective counter to the guerilla tactics used by the Taleban.
President Obama needs to wake up our military leaders and challenge them to come up with a new direction, an effective plan, to eradicate the unseen, hard to find, enemy.
Either that, or, the U.S. needs to do a complete withdrawal from Afghanistan, and let the Afghani people deal with their situation.
If the Taleban persists, and wins control, and insists on a 14TH century Muslim feudal system for Afghani society, then that’s the way it would be for the people of Afghanistan.
If the Afghani people are not willing to help themselves, there is no point in the U.S. staying and trying to do anything to try to help them.
Who was the genius in charge of perimeter defenses for the U.S. outpost the Taleban overran the other day?
With all the modern U.S. weaponry, and surveilance gadgets, how was such a thing possible? The whole thing is becoming one big embarrassment, of military incompetence.
At some point, one must realize, "You know what? This is not working, and no matter what we try to do, it is not going to work. We need to leave, now, rather than later."
I would suggest he take a lesson from past history and realize that when The Soviet Union had spent eight years in occupation of Afghanistan
it cost them their country and eastern block superiority as it had been, just as it is costing America now! The longer we stay the more we loose and the enemy, the enemy just crosses the border to the next country and blends in again. We win by returning home and building America strong again here in our country helping our people not waging an endless war for what? For What?
Drew you are so correct.
Be aware of Vizzini's comment in the movie the Princes Bride.
He said:
You fool! You fell victim to one of the classic blunders - The most famous of which is "never get involved in a land war in Asia"
How to defeat 90% of the Taliban, and restore a democratic gov. to Afganistan in
one (1) year or less.
You first have to identify your enemy. In this case, the enemy is not a
country. It has no central capital, no industrial base, no center core for
military or economic supplies, or standard distribution network as a country
would have had. Also There is no "single" front line militarily to attack or fight,
no headquarters and supply depots. It is a waste of time, money, and lives to put
large numbers of troops at this type of enemy. You only haft to look back as far as
Russia of the 90's to see that. Shock and awe is not the answer here.
This enemy is made up of individuals, no matter how few or many, that
have united for a cause. they are made up of "groups of individuals". Some
groups just a few, some groups many. But no central core, no particular city
or building is an enemy here. Only "individuals with ideas that we cant get along
or exist together.
1) Take a thousand civilians, give them all laptops and put them in a building
right in the center of Washington. They are going to set up the field. Set up 1
wall in the middle of this building make it 10 ft. high and 30 ft long. Draw the mountains of af.
and N Pak. on the wall. Then your thousand people will start the new google earth
map. This is not a street map, this is a land map. You want 3 things on this map-
every building; every plant; every person. Created just like google Earth but with
live satalite feeds & drones directly to our laptops. Roads will be filled in later as time
progresses or need arises. Mark where every house, church, shop, farm and ranch is.
If there is 3 people at a a spot mark it as such, and so on to get the majority of
the people. and MOST importantly mark where every opium crop is. Opium brings no
income to the af. gov.(except maybe bribes), but this is where most of the income
of the talabon comes from. Give them a couple of weeks to get this map going good.
2) Take 10,000 soldiers and start eraticating all the opium plants and fields
that can be located. If you can read newspapers from sky, every plant can be found
and burned. Now this will draw immediate reaction but 10,000 troops can handle any
local uprising from farmers, and guards.
3) Now go the the UN and tell them we have a country that is broke, hungry,
and needs an economy to become selfsufficient. Now return to that country as UN, or
whatever. Tell all people, if you are hungry, we will feed you,clothe you whatever.
If they want to start a farm, we will give you seed, help you build a tannery or
shoe shop, similiar to africa's $200 dollar microbusinesses; but if
you pick up a gun, you die.
4) Return back to our map now. The Op. crops are all burning, and we are kick-
starting a new economy. Now is the time to elimiate the Taliban. These "individuals",
have the same needs any army would, food and supplies. Burning the fields is a good
long term solution, but there plenty of goods in the supply chain now. thats what
the daily map picture is for. They are not being suppied by a home city or country.
They are buying their food and weapons on the open or black market.
Googling, we know where every bullet and gun is made, and where every bucket and
barrel of food is at. We watch, and whenever something goes in a direction where
nobody suppose to be. we snatch it up. And we snatch up every piece of bread, cloth-
ing, and gun, that appears to be heading for our uncivilized enemy. Without food
and supplies they haft to come out eventually, and they have a choice; join the
new economy and be a constructive member of society(whatever country they choose
to be in), or pick up a gun and die.
Without food and supplies, what will be left of the Taliban after a few months?
How to defeat 90% of the Taliban, and restore a democratic gov. to Afganistan in
one (1) year or less.
You first have to identify your enemy. In this case, the enemy is not a
country. It has no central capital, no industrial base, no center core for
military or economic supplies, or standard distribution network as a country
would have had. Also There is no "single" front line militarily to attack or fight,
no headquarters and supply depots. It is a waste of time, money, and lives to put
large numbers of troops at this type of enemy. You only haft to look back as far as
Russia of the 90's to see that. Shock and awe is not the answer here.
This enemy is made up of individuals, no matter how few or many, that
have united for a cause. they are made up of "groups of individuals". Some
groups just a few, some groups many. But no central core, no particular city
or building is an enemy here. Only "individuals with ideas that we cant get along
or exist together.
1) Take a thousand civilians, give them all laptops and put them in a building
right in the center of Washington. They are going to set up the field. Set up 1
wall in the middle of this building make it 10 ft. high and 30 ft long. Draw the mountains of af.
and N Pak. on the wall. Then your thousand people will start the new google earth
map. This is not a street map, this is a land map. You want 3 things on this map-
every building; every plant; every person. Created just like google Earth but with
live satalite feeds & drones directly to our laptops. Roads will be filled in later as time
progresses or need arises. Mark where every house, church, shop, farm and ranch is.
If there is 3 people at a a spot mark it as such, and so on to get the majority of
the people. and MOST importantly mark where every opium crop is. Opium brings no
income to the af. gov.(except maybe bribes), but this is where most of the income
of the talabon comes from. Give them a couple of weeks to get this map going good.
2) Take 10,000 soldiers and start eraticating all the opium plants and fields
that can be located. If you can read newspapers from sky, every plant can be found
and burned. Now this will draw immediate reaction but 10,000 troops can handle any
local uprising from farmers, and guards.
3) Now go the the UN and tell them we have a country that is broke, hungry,
and needs an economy to become selfsufficient. Now return to that country as UN, or
whatever. Tell all people, if you are hungry, we will feed you,clothe you whatever.
If they want to start a farm, we will give you seed, help you build a tannery or
shoe shop, similiar to africa's $200 dollar microbusinesses; but if
you pick up a gun, you die.
4) Return back to our map now. The Op. crops are all burning, and we are kick-
starting a new economy. Now is the time to elimiate the Taliban. These "individuals",
have the same needs any army would, food and supplies. Burning the fields is a good
long term solution, but there plenty of goods in the supply chain now. thats what
the daily map picture is for. They are not being suppied by a home city or country.
They are buying their food and weapons on the open or black market.
Googling, we know where every bullet and gun is made, and where every bucket and
barrel of food is at. We watch, and whenever something goes in a direction where
nobody suppose to be. we snatch it up. And we snatch up every piece of bread, cloth-
ing, and gun, that appears to be heading for our uncivilized enemy. Without food
and supplies they haft to come out eventually, and they have a choice; join the
new economy and be a constructive member of society(whatever country they choose
to be in), or pick up a gun and die.
Without food and supplies, what will be left of the Taliban after a few months?
I would fire him, congress and all those responsible for war, and dedicate the associated monies to peace and healthcare.