On Tuesday evening President Obama spoke to cadets at West Point Military Academy. He laid out his proposal for General Stanley McChrystal's request for an additional 40,000 troops. Obama stated in his speech that he will pledge 30,000 additional troops to Afghanistan to turn back the growing insurgency in Afghanistan. Obama stated that there are conditions that must be met in Afghanistan. He said he wasn't going to provide a "blank check" to the Karzai government in Afghanistan any longer. Obama said that he will withdraw troops from Afghanistan in July 2011.
Here we have the same old agenda that the Bush administration employed in Iraq in the Middle East. Many conservatives on talk-radio as well as many Republicans in Congress applauded the "troop surge" stategy in Afghanistan. The problem is that the current strategy the military commanders are using in Afghanistan isn't working. Adding troops alone will just be adding more troops to the slaughter. However, if the increase in troops isn't followed up by a massive bombing campaign then the increase in troops will be to no avail. War is very serious business. I am no war protester but I don't agree with continuing this war when there's not a committed effort among our military brass and the President to win this war. President Obama doesn't even feel comfortable using that phrase. Then why is he still allowing this war to continue? It's because those that contributed to Obama's campaign desire to see this war continue on. I believe it's about money. Somebody's making a killing in continuing this war. The truth is wars make money. There are some corporations that stand to profit with the continuing of this war. I know I'm cynical in my thinking but there are many greedy people in this world and they'll do anything they can to make a quick dollar. Former President Dwight Eisenhower said in his farewell speech in 1961 to "Beware of the military-industrial complex." He was very prophetic.
I do support our troops and I do believe they desire to win. If they were in charge of the strategy, it would be totally different from what our military brass has designed. The United States since the Korean War has opted to engage in a war but not fight for a military victory. You can easily see what the consequences were when you study Vietnam. Wars can bankrupt a nation if you drag them out for a very long space of time. Our national debt keeps on growing with both the wars continuing in the Middle East. When the United States fought both World War I and World War II, Americans purchased war bonds to help pay for the war effort. Why didn't our politicians propose that concept when we first sent troops into Afghanistan in 2001?
In order to win this war the poppy fields need to be decimated. All the proceeds from that crop helps support terrorism. All funds that help support terrorism in Afghanistan and Pakistan need to end. All funds benefitting terrorism need to be dried up. There also needs to be a massive bombing campaign throughout all the terrorist hotspots as well as the mountains and caves in Afghanistan. There are places that need to be decimated. Also, there needs to be a search for Osama bin Laden. He needs to be brought to justice. He was the perpetrator of the 9/11 attacks. War is war. It may not be pretty but a strong campaign is what's needed if we're going to eliminate Al-Qaeda and the Taliban. Our troops need all the ammunition and equipment necessary if they're going to be successful. Also, these silly rules-of-engagement that our military's placed on our troops need to be stopped. They need to be allowed to use whatever tactics are necessary to win. The problem is if the troops were to shoot an Afghan or if they performed their job too well, they could be court-martialed. That happened with some of the troops in Iraq with the Haditha shootings in November 2005. It's insane!
It's time to wage a massive campaign equivalent to the "shock and awe" that was supposed to take place when the Iraq War began in 2003. There needs to be some serious "shock and awe" in Afghanistan. Those insurgents need to be whacked so hard that they won't know what hit them. This war can't continue like it has been. Either the military commanders totally revamp the strategy for Afghanistan or the United States needs to send the troops home. Enough is enough. I predict that our troops will still be in Iraq and Afghanistan during the 2012 presidential election. I don't believe Obama will stick by the July 2011 deadline to pull out the troops. The powers-that-be want us to continue fighting this low-grade war. They want to make all the money they can from this war. There's so much corruption going on in regards to these two wars it would make a person's head spin if they knew all the details.
No comments:
Post a Comment