The Paranoid States of America has been fighting a "war against terrorism" in Afghanistan -- not to mention Iraq, Syria, etc etc and so forth -- for 14 years. The Afghanistan war is the longest in American history, and, Walt suggests, the second-most futile. (Vietnam would take the dubious honour of being the most futile.)It will be remembered (or should be) that the Prez promised, when seeking election and re-election, that he would bring US troops home from the sandpit by the end of his term. He lied.
Today POTUS announced plans to keep nearly 10,000 American troops in Afghanistan through most of next year. 5500 will remain even after he leaves office in 2017, handing off the conflict to a successor. Wouldn't it be ironic if the third commander-in-chief to oversee this misguided and mishandled war turned out to be Hellery Clinton. It would be interesting to watch the Empress trying to pin the blame not just on the immediate past president, but on the past-past president!
Mr. O called the new plan a "modest but meaningful" extension of the US military mission, which he swears he originally planned to end next year. Why didn't he do it? In the words of W.C. Fields, "Things happened." The Prez acknowledged America's weariness of the lengthy conflict, but said he was "firmly convinced we should make this extra effort."
He may be convinced, but Walt is not. Like Ron Paul, Walt believes the USA has no business intervening in the Muslim civil wars in Afghanistan (and Iraq, Syria, etc etc and so forth) -- never did, never will. American blood is being shed. American treasure is being poured down the desert rathole. And for what? To bring Western civilization and democracy to the benighted Islamists? They don't want it and won't have it! Better to just let ISIS, Al-Qaeda, the Taliban and the rest duke it out. Will any serious contender for the presidensity have the guts to say that...and mean it?! Let's see....
Footnote: Let's be fair. It really was Dubya, not the Prez, who got America into Afghanistan. But it's not like he won't have a war to call his own and leave to his successor as a parting gift. Earlier this week, POTUS announced that he was sending US troops into Cameroon (central Africa) to help defeat the ISIS affiliate, Boko Haram. Boko Haram (translated as "Western education evil") is just one of the Islamic terrorist groups who benefitted from the US-led intervention in Libya. Thank you Mr. Obama...and Ms. Clinton.
Further reading: "How Can Anyone Still Be An Interventionist?" by Jacob G. Hornberger, on the Ron Paul Institute for Peace and Prosperity website.
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