Afghanistan- Through The Looking Glass With A Man Named McChrystal

[masuki bance]

...We are about to go through the looking glass with a man named McChrystal.

The military is obviously turning up the heat in Washington to get us into a much bigger war in Afghanistan and it's being done the usual way, with lies and leaks and back stabbing and grandstanding. And the politics are as confused as ever.

For me, this one is easy. Afghanistan is the most unlikely place to win a war on the planet. To apply the lessons learned in Iraq (such as they were) to this country seems insane to me --- especially the concept of "counter-insurgency," so beloved by the McChrystalites, which is being bizarrely misapplied. But more important than that: whenever you hear people saying that the primary purpose in continuing a war is because "to leave would send the wrong message" and declaring that "perceptions" are the reasons for continuing a slaughter, you know you are in Pentagon NeverNever land.

Escalation is a bad idea. The Democrats backed themselves into defending the idea of Afghanistan being The Good War because they felt they needed to prove their macho bonafides when they called for withdrawal from Iraq. Nobody asked too many questions sat the time, including me. But none of us should forget that it was a political strategy, not a serious foreign policy.

There have been many campaign promises "adjusted" since the election. There is no reason that the administration should feel any more bound to what they said about this than all the other committments it has blithely turned aside in the interest of "pragmatism."

http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2009/09/best-and-brightest-millenial-edition-by.html

The occupations must end.

[Autumn]

1. It is past time to end

these illegal and immoral wars. K/R

[masuki bance]

2. It's disturbing how few here are willing to speak out. nt

[Autumn]

5. Very disturbing

and I am amazed that posts about the war are always un reced. Just shows me that they are fine with the wars, they just didn't like Bush or anything he did.

[masuki bance]

6. If we continue to occupy their countries and kill their people

we will be enabling more dangerous recruitment and activity.

[masuki bance]

3. kick

[polichick]

4. "with lies and leaks and back stabbing and grandstanding."

Guess that's how the military industrial complex does it's very dirty work.