11/25/2009

When Two Roads Collide

“It’s time to heed the call from General McKiernan and others for more troops. That’s why I’d send at least two or three additional combat brigades to Afghanistan. We also need more training for Afghan Security forces, more non-military assistance to help Afghans develop alternatives to poppy farming, more safeguards to prevent corruption, and a new effort to crack down on cross-border terrorism. Only a comprehensive strategy that prioritizes Afghanistan and the fight against al Qaeda will succeed, and that’s the change I’ll bring to the White House.”

Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL)
2008 Presidential Campaign



"The Taliban often came into the village to ambush convoys, and then almost immediately the foreign air strikes hit us. Our children were killed; our crops were destroyed; our homes were damaged. There was nothing left for us there."

Afghan Villager


"The foreigners would bombard us, and the Taliban would come in and demand that we give them our sons...The Taliban have swarmed the village and have established checkpoints and outposts everywhere. Believe me, if there were even a slight possibility of return, I wouldn't be here. But there is none."

Sultan Mohammad
Afghan father


"If you're walking down the right path and you're willing to keep walking, eventually you'll make progress."

President Barack Obama


“If you don't know where you are going, any road will get you there.”

Lewis Carroll

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I support the war in Afganistan but I have a feeling Obama will pull a Jimmy Carter and whimp out.

Roadkill said...

President Obama has opted to stand by his promise to support the Afghan people, beat back the Taliban, and keep Al Quida from re-establishing themselves in Afghanistan. Good for him. I hope he can keep to his timeline.

Check out this comment by Chris Matthews; Obama delivers his speech from "the enemy camp." West Point is the enemy?

Discuss amongst yourselves....

Sunnby B. said...

RK, I believe Obama has long said that Afghanistan was where the focus should have been. Myself, I have said that since before the oil war started in Iraq.

I think the anti-war moverment should have put their pre-2008 election efforts into getting Kucinnich or Ron Paul elected. I think they would have put the biggest effort into getting out of Iraq and Afghanistan.

Pakistan makes me nervous. It's got too many thanks-to-Reagan nukes and too little stability. We've already seen the extremists bombing too close to the power center of Afghanistan. In a perfect world, we could bring home all the troops and spend our treasure on fighting global warming, building a better tomorrow and paying down the national debt.

It will be interesting to see how the TEA Party people embrace this. It will increase the national debt and deficit and no doubt lead to tax increases. I think the free lunch was under the Bush administration. The Obama administration will be responsible for cleaning off the table, washing the dishes and taking out the trash.