Emanuel: Bush never asked key questions on Afghanistan

[IDemo]

October 18th, 2009
Emanuel: Bush never asked key questions on Afghanistan
Posted: 11:37 AM ET

WASHINGTON (CNN) — One of President Barack Obama's top advisers said Sunday the Bush administration failed to ask critical questions about the war in Afghanistan, leaving the Obama administration starting from "scratch" — and leaving the war "adrift."

"The president is asking the questions that have never been asked on the civilian side, the political side, the military side and the strategic side," White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel told CNN's "State of the Union."

Among the things the Obama administration wants to know from Afghan leaders: "Do you have a credible Afghan partner for this process that can provide the security and the type of services that the Afghan people need?"

The United States faces "a much more complex decision" than just determining the appropriate level of troops, Emanuel told CNN Chief National Correspondent John King in a rare interview.

http://cnnwire.blogs.cnn.com/2009/10/18/emanuel-bush-never-asked-key-questions-on-afghanistan/

[MannyGoldstein]

1. Emanuel's Likely Questions

1. How far to the Right can we go?
2. How can I make some shekels from this deal?
3. What creative name can I come up with for actual Democrats this time? Pajama-wearing web-form wimps? The left of the left of the left?

[TomCADem]

2. Afganistan Was The "Forgotten" War Between 2001 and 2008

There was no strategy between that time. What exactly where we doing besides mindlessly bombing people? Of course, the real reason is that the Bush administration did not want to admit that the focus on Iraq resulted in the crisis in Pakistan and Afganistan.

[TomClash]

3. Let's start with the simple questions

1. Where are we eight years on?
2. What is our primary goal there?
3. How do we best achieve that goal?

The real answers to these questions are unsatisfactory.

[Ilsa]

4. Bush made decisions by the seat of his pants. And the seat of his

pants has shit all over it, so now shit is all over Afghanistan and our budget.

Bush was too lazy to think analytically about anything for more than ten seconds. During that time, the voices in his head would tell him that no US troops would get killed, so he would go for it.