"Hi-ho, hi-ho, it's off to war we go! Pound the drums loudly, stand with your country proudly!"

[Better Believe It]

Hightower: What Is Obama Getting Us Into in Afghanistan?
By Jim Hightower, Creators Syndicate
December 2, 2009

Hi-ho, hi-ho, it's off to war we go! Pound the drums loudly, stand with your country proudly!

http://www.npc.navy.mil/NR/rdonlyres/6EBB9F7C-7082-48C8-A508-3FCC12E97493/0/4RFHailtotheChief.mp3

Wait, wait, wait — hold it right there. Cut the music, slow the rush, and let's all ponder what Barack Obama, Roberts Gates, Stanley McChrystal and Co. are getting us into ... and whether we really want to go there. After all, just because the White House and the Pentagon brass are waving the flag and insisting that a major escalation of America's military mission in Afghanistan is a "necessity" doesn't mean it is ... or that We the People must accept it.

Remember the wisdom of Mark Twain about war-whooping generals and politicians: "Loyalty to the country, always. Loyalty to the government when it deserves it."

How many more dead and mangled American soldiers does the government's "new" Afghan policy deserve? How many more tens of billions of dollars should we let them siphon from our public treasury to fuel their war policy? How much more of our country's good name will they squander on what is essentially a civil war?

We've been lied to for nearly a decade about "success" in Iraq and Afghanistan — why do the hawks deserve our trust that this time will be different?

Read the full article at:

http://www.alternet.org/world/144319/hightower%3A_what_is_obama_getting_us_into_in_afghanistan

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

1. The Snow White Gambit?

:shrug:

[Pyrzqxgl]

2. Amen!!

[eleny]

3. k&r -- No text because Hightower said it all

[truedelphi]

4. HIghtower is one of my Favorite Americans. n/t

[alcibiades_mystery]

5. Oy vey

:eyes:

[boomerbust]

6. Foolishness

What is Obama getting us into? Right. it's all Obamas fault. Morons.

[Better Believe It]

7. Come on now .... let's all show a little more enthusiasm for these wars.

Sing along with me now!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OrWIXbZlRnk&feature=related

I think someone who thinks the wars are just wonderful posted this video.

Hopefully they have or will soon change their mind.

[polly7]

8. I say show the dead, the carnage, the horror.

Air footage of it all. Maybe people will realize how horrible it is ...... or will they care??? Probably not.

[damntexdem]

9. Bullshit: for once, Americans were addressed in a sober manner, without saber rattling.

The wrong choice may have been made, but it was not made jingoistically. The chicken hawks have likely already lost it for us, but they made the mess then passed it on to Obama, who thinks that something can still be saved. I'm not so sure; but any support I and others may give him will be grudging at best, limited in scope and time, and subject to constant monitoring.

[Better Believe It]

10. So you sorta/kinda support the war escalation because Obama didn't rattle sabers.

Your war support will be limited in time, limited in scope, grudging at best and you're going to constantly monitor President Obama's war escalation!

I don't think that's what Obama was hoping to accomplish with his speech. He failed to win your all out uncritical support.

That's good!

[JNelson6563]

11. In my case I am giving his plan a chance.

Remember how we were all raising hell cause Bush wouldn't give and indication of an exit strategy? Obama has given a time frame and a plan and it is my hope we can achieve it. I was heartened to hear a report on NPR yesterday that said they are greatly increasing (I think they said tripling) the amount of civilians in Afghanistan to help with the training and reconstruction efforts.

It is my hope we can make some progress in helping them rebuild their infrastructure as well as achieve a semblance of order in their society. It's the least we can do.

Julie

[Better Believe It]

12. I was against Bush's "entrance strategy" like millions of others! I liked the Vietnam exit strategy

I think we should use the same "exit" strategy that ended the war in Vietnam.

It turned out to be the only strategy which actually worked!

We brought all of our troops home and "surrendered" Vietnam to the people of Vietnam.

Exiting as an exit strategy .... what a novel idea!