US Military Chief: Afghanistan Situation is 'Serious and Deteriorating'

[Purveyor]

Source: VOA NEWS

The U.S. military's top officer says he believes the situation in Afghanistan is "serious and deteriorating."

The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen, said in an interview on U.S. television CNN's State of the Union Sunday that the Taliban insurgency has "gotten better more sophisticated" in its tactics over the past couple of years.

In a separate interview on NBC's Meet the Press, Mullen said the U.S. military is focused on preventing another terrorist attack on U.S. soil and that its current strategy in Afghanistan is intended to disrupt and defeat al-Qaida, the Taliban and its extremist allies.

The Obama administration is expecting an assessment from its commander in Afghanistan, General Stanley McChrystal, in the next two weeks on the current situation there.

Republican Senator John McCain said in an interview on ABC's This Week Sunday that McChrystal's assessment should say exactly how many troops are needed in Afghanistan.


Read more: http://www.voanews.com/english/2009-08-23-voa14.cfm

[sharesunited]

1. This is The Good War. But only if there enough volunteers for the theater. Volunteers Only!

[IndianaGreen]

4. While the rest of us order pizza on week nights or go to movies

Our troops have to suffer and die for a failed policy, while their families have to make do without their loved ones in uniform.

What a deal, isn't it?

[Faygo Kid]

2. The Soviet Union experienced this as well.

I frankly don't know what Obama is thinking anymore.

Get out of there.

[Babyserendip]

3. Backing the Pashtuns...in their disolution from Pakistan is the only long-term way out.

Should be an interesting week...as Abdullah Abdullah contests the election...which were certainly rigged with so many issues there is no way to know where to start.

America.....how u have lost yourself...will be simply written in history.

[saigon68]

25. here is the CIA Installed Winner

Meet the Mayor of Kabul




CHARLIE MCKARZAI

[No Elephants]

28. I'm glad they got the votes counted. The suspense was killing me.

:sarcasm:

[saigon68]

30. LOL

[conspirator]

31. +1 nt

[IrishBuckeye]

5. Well, last time we left (in the 80's) it became a hub for terrorists

I suppose that is what Obama is thinking and doesn't want to repeat that mistake.

[sharesunited]

6. Was that the take away message of Charlie Wilson's War? (Or was it something else?)

[IndianaGreen]

8. That film did not show how people like bin Laden became our allies in Afghanistan

The seeds for 9-11 were planted then.

[sharesunited]

9. An ally of convenience. The enemy of my enemy sort of thing.

No permanent friends or foes. Only permanent interests.

[IndianaGreen]

11. The American people are never a factor in 'American interests'

Only Wall Street and financiers.

[sharesunited]

13. You are awesome! Was the collapse of the Soviet Union beneficial to the American people?

Your avatar aside for the moment.

[IndianaGreen]

14. Would Bush had invaded Iraq if there was a USSR?

I think we would still have 9,000 GIs and countless numbers of Iraqis very much alive, not to mention millions of Iraqis would still be living in their homes instead of being displaced.

[sharesunited]

15. U.S. imperialism bad for American citizens. (Chalmers Johnson would agree.)

Missing USSR = missing counterbalance to U.S. imperialism.

Therefore, collapse of USSR = bad for American citizens.

Interesting take on it, IndianaGreen!

[No Elephants]

26. Bin Laden cited Poppy's bombing of Lebanon, among other things.

[IrishBuckeye]

10. Haven't seen the movie, couldn't tell you. /nm

nm

[Dr.Phool]

17. Read the book. It's much better.

[IndianaGreen]

7. Osama bin Laden was our guy in the 1980s

and Al-Qaeda was our baby.

[IrishBuckeye]

12. Right, more reason why it's the responsibility of the U.S. to clean up the mess they helped make.

The situation in Afghanistan has been a mess far longer than the U.S. has been involved there but the toxic mess it helped create in the 1980's in one that needs to be cleaned up before we move on or it will burn us again. Picking up our bags and shipping out isn't going to fix the problem.

[IndianaGreen]

16. I am among those that see the Taleban as a regional threat and should be defeated

Having said that, you can't defeat the Taleban with foreign troops in the region all the while the Wahhabi Taleban theology is being taught across the world thanks to the support and financing of... SAUDI ARABIA!

I will add that our entire Afghan policy is doomed to failure.

[Dr.Phool]

18. There's a reason empires die there.

Obama is rapidly becoming Lyndon Johnson. Without the social progress.

[saigon68]

27. Nice Observation

Sure looks like it to me

Also Johnson only "elected" to one term

[Arctic Dave]

19. Our responsibilty? How is killing a bunch of people helping to achieve this goal?

How is making US corporations rich helping them? How is arming and financing warlords helping them? Oh, that's right, we don't give shit about them, we just want their resources.

[polly7]

20. But, but ............ don't forget the free Viagra for those warlords

with their young girl wives. I bet that helped the old perverts out a little. (Snark).

[No Elephants]

24. The last time we left, we were supporting and arming Bin Laden.

[lovuian]

21. The New World Order is feeling its defeat again

America has to come to the realization

its US and NATO Military has lost
Vietnam
Desert Storm
Iraq
and soon Afghanistan

And they have completely bankrupted America

the Military Industrial Complex is imploding to corruption
America's corruption has completely robbed all assets


all we have is our children

and you will here Mandatory draft more and more


that will be the last straw

[No Elephants]

29. We have our descendants saddled with debt for generations. and a tad short on

clean air, water, fuel, etc.

If they rose up and killed us, I'm not sure I could blame them.

[Hawkowl]

22. Says General Westmoreland

More troops! More troops! Support the troops in the 30 years war! Fuck Obama. Fuck Gates. Fuck every last motherfucking general wallowing in the useless expenditure of blood and treasure.

[saigon68]

23. Meanwhile Seniors go without medicine