Senators Worried Afghanistan Falling Apart

[Spazito]

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Two influential U.S. senators questioned the stability of the Afghan government on Wednesday and warned the U.S. envoy and ambassador-designate to Kabul that the country may fall apart on his watch.


"We are in jeopardy of losing Afghanistan (news - web sites) to become a failed state again," Sen. Joseph Biden told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee at a hearing on the nomination of Zalmay Khalilzad as ambassador to Kabul.


"Are you confident that somehow you are not going to go out for an ambassadorship in which things, I wouldn't say fall apart at the seams, but nevertheless seem to be continually unraveling?" asked Sen. Richard Lugar, the Indiana Republican who is chairman of the committee.

<snip>

The Bush administration has given Afghanistan a lower priority than Iraq (news - web sites), as reflected in its request that the U.S. Congress approve $20 billion for rebuilding Iraq and about $1 billion for Afghanistan.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=615&e=7&u=/nm/afghan_usa_dc

[Brucey]

1. First, the rebuilding money

will have nothing to do with anything, since it goes to US corporations to produce goods and services. Second, a military solution in Afghanistan or Iraq is impossible, unless it simply simulates the dictatorships they've had. Third, the Bush* administration shows no interest in a diplomatic solution involving Arab countries or even European countries. Fourth, Russia spent a decade trying to control Afghanistan and finally gave up. We could set up a military dictatorship there, but it would be frought with violence like Iraq is now, and would require more troops than we have (if we stay in Iraq). It appears that we will stay in Iraq.

[Nottingham]

2. it has served its purpose! Who needs it now

:bounce:

[leftchick]

3. A little too late Joe...

We were shouting that from the rooftops before this illegal invasion into Iraq! :grr:

[Ouabache]

4. So how did the Russians do in Afghanistan

Senator Lugar? You were a history major in college. Can you answer that history question?

Will your votes ever align with your namby-pamby pronouncements that get you headlines ? And somehow make people think you are more liberal than Evan Bayh, even though he does spare us the namby-pamby pronouncements on Foreign Policy.

All Lugar ever does is 'worry' in hearings or on the Sunday press shows, and then goes back and votes down the line with BFEE.
Same with Hagel. They are just more smooth talking fascists.

Talk is cheap. When will some of these republicans actually vote the direction of their worries ? Or are they just going to bullshit us until the Republic is gone on their watch?

[salin]

9. "All Lugar ever does is 'worry' in hearings " - does this drive you as

crazy as it does me?

So close, so close - but so far.

I appreciate that Lugar has the intellectual abilities and aptitudes to recognize the gravity of situations. I lament that in the end he tends to close ranks, deny his concerns, and play the party line.

The closest, in recent memory, he came to acting on these convictions in a way that could have impacted actual policy and outcomes, was a year ago when he was actively working with democrats to formulate amendments to the War Resolution... until those efforts were sabatoged by the Rose Garden speech and the prominant appearence of three democrats with presidential aspirations... Lieberman, Gephardt, and our other esteemed *cough* senator from Indiana. So in this case, the democrat sabatoged the resistant republican (the one senator with intellectual integrity - even if action integrity is often lacking), from efforts that could have helped to alter some of the last years' events.

Frustrates the heck out of me. Go Dick Go.. one wants to root when he goes public with his legitimate concerns (I guess that, at least, is more than any other repubs are willing to do)... but in the end he backs down and supports the Reactionary branch of the republican party.

[CO Liberal]

5. Of Course It's Falling Apart

Dubya had our forces bomb the hell out of the place!!!!

:-)

[Barrett808]

6. But the opium is flowing nicely

Always a plus for the BFEE.

[evworldeditor]

7. Opium spreading like a cancer in Afghanistan

Opium cultivation is spreading like a cancer in Afghanistan and risks transforming the world's leading supplier into a state of narco-terrorists and drug cartels, according to a UN survey.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,2710237a12,00.html

-------------------------------------
My view of events in Afghanistan and US policy there is colored by my friendship with a former Afghan resistance fighter who fled the region after the Taliban targeted him for assassination back in the mid-80s. He's a US citizen now, but is still trying to help his people back home.

I created a web site for his non-profit organization...

http://www.hipp-usa.org

[Copperred]

8. Americans for Afghanistan! JOIN

ALL AMERICANS WHO CARE ABOUT AFGHANISTAN AND UNDERSTAND WHY WE MUST NOT LOSE HER TO DARKNESS.......please join

AMERICAN AFGHAN COMMITTEE

www.american-afghan.com

[goforit]

10. Ahhh!!....But Sen.,...You're the A**es that gave Dimwit the A. OK!!!

You too will pay!!!!

[The_Casual_Observer]

11. Does this come as a surprise to them?

And what do they plan or possibly do about it?

NOTHING

this stupid ass Lugar seems to always be spouting off against his party's policies these days, yet strangely enough his advice and comments are completely ignored. He is playing the role of the "conscience" of the party, thus defusing these issues before the dems get a chance to run with them.

Oh, and NOBODY pays the slightest bit of attention to that nitwit secret republican plagiarist Biden anyway, so why does he even bother?

[Solly Mack]

12. Afghanistan gets screwed again...uh, well duh...we always knew this

would happen.

Bush doesn't give about the people of Afghanistan or the soldiers there...

[dusty64]

13. You think.

The lack of coverage of Afghanistan has led most to believe the "war" is over there. When was the last time you read or heard anything about the declining situation there outside of this forum?

[gratuitous]

14. "I wouldn't say fall apart at the seams" -- Lugar

"But nevertheless seem to be continually unraveling." Well Senator, any metaphor you choose seems to be saying that Afghanistan needs a great deal more attention, time and money than this corrupt ADDministration is willing to give it.

What are you going to do about it? You're supposed to be one of our nation's leaders, aren't you? Do some leading for a change.