I wish I could.

[cali]

I wish I could support President Obama's escalation of troops into Afghanistan, but I can't. I don't believe he's simply a war monger a la bush. I don't believe he's doing this because he wants to line the pockets of cronies or because he's in the pockets of the corpocracy. But I do believe he's wrong. I ask myself what 2 or 3 more years and increased troops can do to "keep us safe" and the answer I come up with is nothing. Al-Qaeda? Dispersed, and if Afghanistan reverts back to being a receptive environment for them after U.S. troops leave, well, there's no guarantee whatsoever that years more and thousands of troops more will make any difference. It's a huge risk for a small potential gain.

My opposition to his plans, doesn't mean I oppose President Obama or that I won't vote for him, or that it's all about me. It means that I think he's wrong. Yes, I voted for him. Yes, I knew he planned to ramp up the conflict in Afghanistan. I voted for him despite that, not because of it.

I don't think that you can honestly call an escalation plan a withdrawal plan. It's just a wee bit disingenuous and Orwellian to do that.

Having said all that, I hope this isn't the huge mistake I believe it to be.

[Orsino]

1. Agreed.

I can only hope that some good will come of this, something to offset the huge mountain of fail.

[cali]

2. me too. I'm hoping for the best, expecting it not at all.

[The_Commonist]

3. Yep, that all sounds about right.

My fear is that we will get sucked into Pakistan in a way that will destabilize that country even more, setting some nukes free and... well... ya know.

[tekisui]

4. I am with you.

I don't think he is a war-monger. But, I think he has put politics too high in making this decision. I think he listened to the wrong people.

We will need to remind ourselves over the next 2-3 years, that this was a moment of choice. Escalation was not his only choice. It didn't have to be this way.

My greatest worry, other than the guaranteed increase in US and Afghan deaths that will come with this surge, is the untenable position it puts us in for the coming years. Have we already forgotten how hard it is to get out of wars? Iraq is moving towards ending, but to get there we had to mobilize the nation and elect a President willing to do it. Even then, it is taking a lot of money and a lot of time.

With the increased presence of troops, we face the prospect of increased attacks on our troops. If something should flare up in Pakistan (or if the Civil War spreads), we could be drawn into entirely new conflicts in the region. There is a very real likelihood that we will get stuck and bogged down there.

Also, I still do not understand what 'disrupt and deny al-qaeda' a place to come back to means. How will we know when that is accomplished? How will we know when all the extremists are dead? Will the last one declare that he is the last one, and when we off him come home?

The objectives pertaining to the Taliban and AQ are just as ambiguous as before. The goals on the Afghan police/army are at least defined. I expect the escalation to set us on course for many years more of war. Obama has made a bed that he will not like lying in. Come 2012, when he is wanted to withdrawal for his re-election, major attacks in the region can throw those plans into a tailspin. He has set himself up for failure, IMHO.

[cali]

5. I actually find it quite tragic that he's made this decision

tragic of course for those who will die in the coming months and years, both Afghanis and U.S. service members but tragic because I think it could destroy his presidency for nothing.

[tekisui]

6. His presidency, the Democratic majority,

further break our military and sink us further into endless debt.