Obama favours U.S. troop surge in Afghanistan

[Bragi]

Source: Globe and Mail

WASHINGTON — Sounding presidential, Senator Barack Obama said Wednesday he would order a surge of U.S. troops – perhaps 15,000 or more – to Afghanistan as soon as he reached the White House.

“We're confronting an urgent crisis in Afghanistan,” Mr. Obama, the Democratic contender and now clear front-runner to replace George W. Bush, said Wednesday.

“It's time to heed the call … for more troops. That's why I'd send at least two or three additional brigades to Afghanistan,” he said in his most hawkish promise to date...

“The terrorists who attacked us on 9/11 are still at large and plotting,” he said, echoing Mr. Bush's oft-repeated refrain.

Read more: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.2008...

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Yes, Barack, "the terrorists who attacked us on 9/11 are still at large and plotting." The problem is, none of them are still in Afghanistan.

This is NOT a "good war" at all, it is a pointless quagmire.

If Barack doesn't find a way out of his campaign commitments here, he is going to "own" this war, and it will become a terrible millstone for his administration.

This makes me very sad.

- B

[babylonsister]

1. This isn't breaking news, and I share your sentiments. Hopefully

Obama will be listening to some commanders who will change his mind. Or, he's just waiting to have the opportunity...

[Bragi]

3. Just showed up in today's news...

I hadn't seen it elsewhere on DU, and it's terribly important, so I thought it might be okay to post.

As for listening to commanders, I'm not sure who is giving him advice on this now, but my concern is that his statements reflect the notion from a few years back that, because the Dems were opposed to the Iraq war, they (I'm a pro-Dem Canadian, so I can't say "we") had to be seen to be in favour of some war somewhere so as not to appear reflexively antiwar.

In my view, bad political logic doesn't justify supporting a bad war. No good can come to Obama's administration -- or to America's reputation abroad -- from the direction he seems to be headed on this war.

- B

[babylonsister]

4. I think the sole reason Obama is going in this direction at this point

is because Americans don't want the next president to forget about OBL and what he did. He's appeasing Americans at this point, imo, but that could change, and I hope it does.

As for LBN, that wasn't meant to be a criticism and if it's a current article, it should be here. I just meant that Obama has held this view for awhile.

[CountAllVotes]

7. all I can say is this

I hope to God that you are right!

NO MORE WAR! NO MORE WAR!

JUST SAY NO TO MORE WAR!!

[babylonsister]

8. My thoughts exactly. This is a losing proposition all the way around. nt

[CountAllVotes]

10. Obama is running as the anti-war candidate

and yet he keeps talking about more troops in Afghanistan and possibly invading Pakistan to "get bin Laden". This has me very worried I will admit.

He is contradicting the agenda he has laid out to end the war!

This makes ZERO sense and if he is doing it to appease people, I suggest he find some other issue to "appease" people with like preserving/strengthening Social Security!

His agenda must be focused on the USA, not more crap wars in the Middle East (and anywhere else for that matter!).

Wake-up Obama, PLEASE!

[babylonsister]

11. Could be he's looking for a diplomatic way to get out of this:

that is his intention in a lot of places...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.ph...

[RaleighNCDUer]

12. That's not true. He ran as the anti-IRAQ war candidate.

His position on Afghanistan has not changed, which was that we needed enough troops there from the beginning to crush Al Quaida and keep them from becoming the problem they have continued to be. His speeches have always said that Iraq was a distraction from Afghanistan where our REAL enemies are hiding.

Of course, that may no longer be an operable position, since AQ is now entrenched in Pakistan. Makes it much more complicated.

[CountAllVotes]

13. you see

I don't agree with these positions of his.

U.S. OUT OF THE MIDDLE EAST GOD DAMNIT!!!

for no more war ...

[ACTION BASTARD]

17. Quote for the truth.

Our enemies like in the Stan/Paki outlands. It is there where our people need to liquidate OBL from the face of the earth.

Iraq was the neocon dream that became a nightmare for us.

[Bragi]

9. I don't disagree

Maybe he is just appeasing Americans, as you suggest, but I don't see him as the type of leader who would do this on a matter of such importance.

In fact, I'd feel better if I thought he was just pandering, but I fear he actually believes this to be a good war.

If so, then he is very wrong, and the Afghan war will become a serious liability for his administration.

I hope not, but that's my concern.

- B

[ixion]

2. uh, Barack, the "terrorists who attacked us" are in the WH

not in Afghanistan, or Iraq, or Iran.

Please stop bombing other countries. Thanks.

[OwnedByFerrets]

5. I am not for ANY bombing of other countries.....

there are other "economic" and "law enforcement" means of diminishing the effect of the taliban.

[Phred42]

6. This is seriously UNFORTUNATE.

Obama is completely wrong about this - I wonder if he knows it.

[Bragi]

14. A couple of points...

Looking at the comments here, I would summarize my concerns as follows.

If Obama means it when he says the Afghan war is about defeating al Qaeda, then I am very concerned that he apparently cannot distinguish between al Qaeda and the cabal of pious medievalists, war lords and drug barons who now run Afghanistan, and who have done so long before anyone reading this was born.

Alternately, if he knows that this thuggish cabal isn't Al Qaeda, and he has some other reason for expanding this war, then it bothers me that he has decided to give us a bogus reason, and to hide the real reason.

When I look at Obama's whole policy thrust, his whole Afghanistan war stance is, for me, the only significant cloud on the horizon. I fear it's a tragically big mistake that could really ill-serve his Presidency.

- B

[FUCK_BUSH]

15. I have talked to several GI coming back from IRAQ, and all of them believe that we have to send more

troops to Afghanistan. So yes he is doing a right thing and listening to troops and generals , not like our retarded ass-hole president who he covers his ears and keep saying :

I WANT WAR LALALA I WANT WAR LALALA I WANT WAR LALALA

[Bragi]

16. Sorry...

I look to soldiers for advice on how to win a war, not about whether a war is justified or not. So it wouldn't surprise me that soldiers say more troops are required to even imagine winning in Afghanistan.

However, in a democracy, citizens get to decide whether a war is worth fighting, not soldiers (at least not beyond the one vote they each get as citizens.)

And from everything I've read, and studied, this war is not worth fighting, especially if the goal is, as Barack seems to think, defeating those responsible for the 9/11 attacks. The responsible parties are elsewhere.

- B

[ACTION BASTARD]

18. Soldiers & Marines live to fight

It's why they signed up for--to blow shit up. But more importantly they want to WIN! So when they say we need to go to the Stan and not Iraq--believe it.

As long as OBL lives the war continues.

[Bragi]

19. You make the same mistake

OBL isn't in Afghanistan, and AQ doesn't run that country, so continuing to blow shit (and people) up there is just continuing with a Bush mistake.

- B

[bdab1973]

24. Leave now and it will be a mistake

The government there is still unstable. The Taliban are still fighting to regain control and return the country to it's pre-9/11 days of a terror hideout. The got to stay in power while the foreign jihadis financed them. The people of Afghanistan will be the worse off for it. You point to the problems that are ongoing, but it pales in comparison how those people were treated under the Taliban. Leaving now guarantees the Taliban's return. That group isn't in power because they are warmly accepted, they were in power because they were the most brutal and used the Quran as a vehicle for legitimacy.

Obama is right about Afghanistan.

[FiveGoodMen]

21. Do you even know if OBL's still alive?

It's going to be a very long war if it has to last until he dies twice.

[FiveGoodMen]

20. Couldn't have said it better

Obama's clearly much better than the alternative, but his position on this is very disappointing.

[ohio2007]

22. From Afghanistan, you don't have to look far to where the "war" is located

15 troops killed in Swat ambush

MINGORA, Oct 22: Fifteen security personnel, five militants and two civilians were killed in fierce fighting in Swat valley on Wednesday.

The clashes erupted on Tuesday in Sarsenai area of Kabal tehsil after militants ambushed a convoy of trucks and armoured vehicles carrying ration and ammunition to Shah Dheri, sources said.

They said the Taliban first set off roadside bombs and then attacked the convoy with rockets and heavy machine guns, inflicting heavy losses on security forces.

snip
http://www.dawn.com/2008/10/23/top3.htm

Nobody seems to be keeping a Pakistan civilian war causality count. SOmebody in Pakistan must be. Nobody outside the Himalayas really is concerned what those mountain cave dwellers seem to be up to.

[IndianaGreen]

23. Afghanistan is already lost. Time to cash in the chips!

The best we can hope for is for a deal with Taleban, similar to the Suni Awakening in Iraq that reduced violence. Karzai is toast!