Republican National Chairman Michael Steele has come under fire for comments yesterday about Afghanistan:
Keep in mind again, federal candidates, [Afghanistan] was a war of Obama’s choosing. This is not something the United States had actively prosecuted or wanted to engage in. … It was the president who was trying to be cute by half by flipping a script demonizing Iraq, while saying the battle really should be in Afghanistan. Well, if he’s such a student of history, has he not understood that you know that’s the one thing you don’t do, is engage in a land war in Afghanistan? All right, because everyone who has tried, over a thousand years of history, has failed.
The Range has asked Congressional District 8 GOP candidates for their reaction.
Jonathan Paton:
I disagree with him. My first reaction is this was not a war of Barack Obama’s choosing, it was a war of the Taliban’s choosing. They’re the ones who provided aid and comfort to the 9/11 hijackers. We have to win in Afghanistan. We can’t afford to fail.
Jesse Kelly:
While our troops are on the ground risking their lives for freedom, the least we can do is stand united behind them as Americans.
Andy Goss:
I find this quote to be irresponsible and ill-informed. There really is no excuse for it. The war in Afghanistan is one we have to win and one we have been actively engaged in for almost nine years. To make those comments was disrespectful to our troops who are over there getting the job done. I join William Kristol in calling for his resignation as this is not the first time Mr. Steele has opened his mouth and inserted his foot.
Brian Miller:
The continued war in Afghanistan absolutely is “a war of Obama’s choosing.” With a new administration, we had a golden opportunity to refocus on the unconventional al Qaeda threat that exists diffusely around the world. Instead, we sent more conventional ground troops to prop up one of the most corrupt governments in the world—the Karzai government—and further destabilize the most dangerous country in the world—Pakistan.
A Constitutional conservative cannot support the continued war in Afghanistan.
Jay Quick:
I favor an orderly withdrawal from Iraq and Afghanistan as quickly as possible. It’s was our lingering military presence in the Middle East after the first Gulf war which began fueling Islamic anger toward America in the first place. The best strategy for exiting both countries is to conduct a plebiscite of the people in Iraq and Afghanistan to determine if they want us to stay, or leave, and for how long.
This article appears in Jul 1-7, 2010.
Ha. As if there was no Afghanistan war before Obama took office. Nope. None. Obama just rolled up his sleeves and shouted, “Lemme at’em !!!”
There is a failure to communicate! In the responses there is allot of political dogma, misinformation, propaganda and ignorance to the dynamics of the Afghanistan and our enslavement in this war. Having served for the Joint Tactical Operation Command, after the 9/11 terrorist attack on the United States by Al Qaida who were being protected by the Taliban a movement that gain a foot hole in the area at the end of the Cold War. Upon the United States covert operations to have Afghanistan fighters with the Soviet Union, our nation provided weapons to defeat them. When the Soviet Union was defeated, congress blocked any funds for reconstruction and to build the peace for this country, thus a power struggle ensued allowing a radical for of Islam take hold in parts of this country (Under a Republican Administration). During the Clinton Administration, intelligence analysis in Washington DC for covert operations recognized a clear and present danger of a new type of terrorist organization which in the world of military history was called a “NONFOR” or non-conventional force. This new type of combatant used religion as a vehicle for recruitment, violence and power in the political vacuum left by all world powers after the fall of the Soviet Union, using the United States the only remaining super power as a focus for their movement. The Clinton Administration attempted several times to neutralize this potential threat, but ran into “Cold War Tactics” for an organization that used none conventional warfare and was successful in brainwashing normally intelligent, affluent, well educated recruits into what they called a JIHAD. This new NONOPFOR had no country borders, well organized, used the Internet, satellite telephones and high technology to bring their violence in various parts of the world, besides being able to turn a young man or woman to strap explosives on themselves, kill innocent people, while surrendering their lives in the process.
Upon the end of the Clinton Administration tenure, the on-coming administration was given a threat to the United States brief, which was debunked by the Cold War mentality that an group of individuals could even organize such an organizations or have the knowledge to prosecute such a war on the United States, focusing on Cold War tactics, diplomacy and the premise that only a state with trained uniformed could attack the United States. In this brief given to then President Bush, he was warmed of a clear and present danger of the United States of America by such a group, which they dismissed to the dismay of many analysis and people in the field that were dealing with this problem during the previous administration.
On September 11, 2001, the prediction came true, but the Cold War view of warfare was not revised to meet the danger, with a view that we could pound these “rag heads with our bombs, pay Afghanistan warlords mercenaries and use special forces to train a provide logistical support with minimum lost of American lives. The United States succeeded to some extent to destroy Taliban forces to some extent, but did not employ sufficient forces, funds and political will to win the war outright, as the tactics of Fire Power and Attrition were utilized, instead of using Tactical and Maneuver to ensure you won the peace. The Taliban escaped to other areas with the remnants to Al Qaida terrorist organization.
Then President Bush turn his attention to Iraq, which though the United States had fought a was and placed a heavy embargo, which contained Saddam Hussein who was contained and in 1993, special operations had destroyed any military threat, including Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD). Several organizations worldwide, including the threat analysis teams of the United States, had Iraq contained and knew of the misinformation to weapons systems which this country no longer had in its arsenal. During this administration there was an assessment that the United States could get a foothold (using Cold War Tactics and mentality) by removing Saddam Hussein from power and control the oil wealth of this nation, by US Oil interest. It is a fact, the Saddam was a brutal dictator, but he kept things running, even in his violence, as there was no leader that the United States, nor the world community, that could fill the vacuum with his removal and keep other problems with Iran in check. It may not have been the best of choices, but at least he kept terrorist and Al Qaida out of his country or any para military groups.
The president authorized a plan for his removal, using what analyst who worked closely in 1993 in boxing Iraq ambitions and the interest of members within this administration to complete unfinished business, dating to the first Gulf War.
With this and a series of United Nations, United States driven initiative, the focus of the war turn from a naive understanding of the NONFOR tactics and ill conceived use of United States power. The resources for Afghanistan were diverted by the Bush Administration in an assumption that this enemy could not regroup, nor be a threat to our country.
The United States prosecuted a war in Iraq which cost countless soldiers lives and injuries, with insufficient assets to win the peace. You destroy something like a nation, then you have to rebuild the infrastructure, otherwise, as it has been proven historically in warfare, you create a more massive problem, in feeding and dealing with discontent by the population you invaded. Iraq was a disaster in short term understanding of the broader picture, just like in Afghanistan.
In Afghanistan, the United States never won the peace with the necessary resources to rebuild the country for eight years. We took our eyes off the ball, the real target in the prosecution of this war and allowed the enemy to re-group, thus the failures of this naive, ignorant approach to warfare, based on Cold War concepts that required tactical and maneuver with forces willing to have the resources and knowledge of the culture, customs and resolve. The war in Afghanistan was won with a small investment of our resources, mostly money to buy the loyalty of forces fighting against the Taliban and the terrorist. The corruption of the political system in Afghanistan is long standing, but the past administration fostered this evil, as being a contributor.
President Obama did not start this war, but I can assure you, that since he took office, more of the leadership of both the Taliban and Al Qaida have been killed, then in all the eight years this war was prosecuted by the previous administration, regardless if they are in any country in the world. You do not advertise your successes in the press, you do not give away your tactics, you do not put your soldiers in harms way unless you can prosecute the war and win the peace. If you have problems with these success in the prosecution of this was war, read Sun Tzu “The Art of War.” The United States will be at war with this NONFOR for many years, due the failures of the past administration utilizing failed plans based on flawed premises. Young Men and Women will die this summer, because of failed policies (by the previous administration), lack of knowledge and the very corrupted practice of putting people in charge, ill trained and equipped to fight a different type of war, that advance weapons technology, developed for Cold War prosecution of combat cannot defeat. “To win wars, you adapt and overcome,” that is how we defeated the British European tactics, using gorilla warfare, ambushing, shooting from behind trees, making the land sparse and being very good shots. We have somehow lost our heritage of warfare, I believe this president is dragging and kicking our arm forces to live to the heritage of this country and win this battle, with a little human casualties as possible.
Pray for our soldiers and stop this propaganda of Obama bashing, which is more based on ignorance, than facts!