ABC: Holbrooke: New Tactics to Break Afghan Stalemate

[laststeamtrain]

Holbrooke: New Tactics to Break Afghan Stalemate
Karzai's Support Weakens in the Weeks Leading up to Afghan Elections
By NICK SCHIFRIN

KABUL, Afghanistan, July 27, 2009 —

U.S. Special Representative Richard Holbrooke outlined new tactics for the war in Afghanistan amid indications that war's long stalemate has weakened support for President Hamid Karzai in next month's election.

Holbrooke brings an aggressive approach to altering U.S. policy in Afghanistan, unafraid to blame the previous administration as much as decades of war for the country's woes.

"We're helping a nation get back on its feet after 30 horrible years, starting with the Soviet invasion, the Taliban era and, let me be honest, the period in the last few years. We made mistakes ourselves," Holbrooke told reporters during a visit to Ghazni province.

<snip>

"It's been a stalemate. Neither side was going to win," Holbrooke said in an interview when asked whether he agreed with those who declared the war a stalemate. "And that is not where you want American troops and those of our allies. So we're changing it."

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http://abcnews.go.com/International/story?id=8182200&page=1

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

1. Jesus Christ, just admit it's a no-hoper and get the hell out, Richard.

The changing generals, changing tactics, changing spokesmen, changing ambassadors, strategy didn't work in Vietnam and Iraq. It sure as hell isn't going to work in Afghanistan or Pakistan.

[leftstreet]

2. +1

[laststeamtrain]

3. I agree. n/t.

[ThomWV]

7. If you would take the time to look at a map you'd see that Afghanistan is a step, not a destination.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

8. A setp to the next falling domino? And, the next incursion?

Well, maybe this time they'll find and destroy the Ho-Chi-Minh trail.

[prostomulgus]

4. Here's a tactic -- LEAVE!!!!

Just have the troops drop everything & proceed to the nearest airport or LZ. Get on an aircraft & just LEAVE the place. If we took the troops to some temporary location such as Diego Garcia, we could have all of them out of Afghanistan in 48 hrs.

Leave all of the war crap behind -- we don't need any of it here.

Just GTFO!!

This goes for Iraq too.

[readmoreoften]

5. Wait! Support for Hamid Karzai has weakened? Does that mean he went from 10 supporters to 3?

Oh, these American Government sillies!

[gratuitous]

6. My analysis

It appears that Holbrooke's "aggressive approach" to this clusterfuck is more clustering and harder fucking.