Obama's war

[joe g]

Isn't it amazing that Now that Obama is ramping up the WAR in Afganistan and slowly moving out of Irac , nothing is said about it on CNN<ABC<CBS or NBC!! Or remmeber on CNN and NBC the daily body count under Bush.
Again the biased liberal networks will continue to help obama. Americans ar dying in afganistan, but you ownt hear much about it.
joeg

[55312]

Just maybe it's the war we should have been fighting all along. 8 years later and Bin Laden is still free.

[Sharroll Celby]

I just read in the Left Angeles Times that 7 US soldiers died yesterday in Afghanistan, so the deaths ARE being reported.

You are right...Afghanistan is where we should have been focusing on all this time.

[fsstnotch]

They are reporting it, just not making it a top story and often times the numbers are off. Drastically shrunk! The Bagram attack of 21 June was reported to have 2 dead when in reality it was more like 14!!! About a week ago there was 1 KIA and 2 MIA in a roadside bomb that FLIPPED their MRAP and launched it 35ft. Didn't hear anything about that one...

[Ron61]

You won't get any real facts from the news media now that they may affect their God in a negative way. As for Bin Laden, the CIA had him and asked Clinton's permission to terminate him and was told no, he is an ally. So that can't be blamed on Bush.

Ron

[427sharpe]

Ron, Ron....EVERYTHING can be blamed on Bush, for that is the mantra of the Obamalites.

[VRM]

Bush (and Clinton, Carter, Regan and so on) should only take the blame for what they did wrong. And they should take the credit for what they did right.

Clinton missed Bin Laden. The Cole was attacked 3 months before his term was up, and the 911 Inquiry gave a date of about 1 month before his term was up that it was known that Al Quaida was probably the attacker. Bush also did nothing about the Cole, and for a lot longer.

When 911 happened Bush probably did the best that anybody could have done; he requested that the Taliban turn over Al Quaida leaders and close the camps, or they would be hunted just like Al Quiada. 98% of the US was in favour of attacking/invading if they did not comply, and most of the rest of the world agreed with us. Bush did exactly what he said he would do, and he still has my support for doing it.

Then Bush screwed up and invaded Iraq (and against the better judgment of his father who had a LOT more experience with that part of the world) and lost focus on Afghanistan. Now we are back to dealing with Afghanistan like we started out doing in the first place. I am hoping that Obama has the smarts to realise that Afghanistan should be our priority and will dedicate the political, economic, and military power needed to get the job done.

Afghanistan is OUR war - it was started because the US was attacked, not because of whatever you think about Obama, Bush, or Clinton. Calling it 'Obamas War' is a big slap in the face of the Americans who died on 9/11.

Steve

[fsstnotch]

Guys, and you really have no idea what some of these locals over here have to deal with when it comes to the Taliban. I read the daily intel reports and they are astounding!

The problem in Afghanistan is manpower. We are doing it in Afghanistan with 1/2 the troops and double the terrain. It is demanding! Even when all of Obama's reinforcments arrive, we're still at 68,000 troops in Afghanistan which is 1/2 the number in Iraq. The time and money has also not been put into the bases here like in Iraq. Most of them are waaaaay below par as far as fortification goes. Even to this day they are doing things for fortification that i must look at and ask myself "why?" Why fortify something that people are only going to use 0.01% of the time and not fortify somehting that is used 99.99%? It just doesn't make sense! So, to take initiative and do what I believe should be done, my roomate and I went to the camp mayor and asked for sand bags. We were told we could not get any because they did not have the manpower to babysit a few locals while they filled the bags. We told them to show us the bags and the dirt and we would fill them ourselves if they would provide a forklift to move them to our location. He said that was not possible. WTF?!?! Now... my sources say there is an IMMINENT attack to happen between now and the 16th. It would be in EVERYONE'S best interest to take an hour and fill some bags and save some lives. But just like those noted attacks above... we will sit around until mass people die due to laziness.

BTW, Effective Aug 5th 2009, I have official resigned from my Job due to the afore mentioned reasons. Everyone who has been here any length of time has said to me "it hasn't happened before..." and it's this exact complacency that is going to get people killed. I have said it once and will say it again... it would not surprise me to see the bloodiest day in Afghanistan to be in the next 8 days.

[VRM]

Originally Posted by fsstnotch

Guys, and you really have no idea what some of these locals over here have to deal with when it comes to the Taliban. I read the daily intel reports and they are astounding!

The problem in Afghanistan is manpower. We are doing it in Afghanistan with 1/2 the troops and double the terrain. It is demanding! Even when all of Obama's reinforcments arrive, we're still at 68,000 troops in Afghanistan which is 1/2 the number in Iraq. The time and money has also not been put into the bases here like in Iraq. Most of them are waaaaay below par as far as fortification goes. Even to this day they are doing things for fortification that i must look at and ask myself "why?" Why fortify something that people are only going to use 0.01% of the time and not fortify somehting that is used 99.99%? It just doesn't make sense! So, to take initiative and do what I believe should be done, my roomate and I went to the camp mayor and asked for sand bags. We were told we could not get any because they did not have the manpower to babysit a few locals while they filled the bags. We told them to show us the bags and the dirt and we would fill them ourselves if they would provide a forklift to move them to our location. He said that was not possible. WTF?!?! Now... my sources say there is an IMMINENT attack to happen between now and the 16th. It would be in EVERYONE'S best interest to take an hour and fill some bags and save some lives. But just like those noted attacks above... we will sit around until mass people die due to laziness.

BTW, Effective Aug 5th 2009, I have official resigned from my Job due to the afore mentioned reasons. Everyone who has been here any length of time has said to me "it hasn't happened before..." and it's this exact complacency that is going to get people killed. I have said it once and will say it again... it would not surprise me to see the bloodiest day in Afghanistan to be in the next 8 days.

I had two friends over there 3-4 years ago, and they have said exactly what you said. They also said that the Taliban is outnumbered (most people hate them), but they are not outgunned so everybody except the groups fighting against them just do not get involved. Have you seen the same? I'd be interested in hearing your observations of the locals, situation, or anything else you'd like to offer.

I'm also amazed at the complacency here in the US about Afghanistan. Iraq is the glamour war - and we are just not paying attention to anything happening, good or bad, in Afghanistan. People have actually become convinced that Iraq caused 911.

Anyway - you have my best wishes for a safe stay and a quick return home. And my thanks.

Steve

[fsstnotch]

Steve, read the section on wiki about "life under the Taliban regime" It' breaks it down pretty well. The villages that are still under Taliban contol are taxed heavily by the Taliban. They are not allowed to have anything for themselves, but they are also too scared to stand up to them. SOME villages have reached out to coalition forces and asked that, IF they stand up to the Taliban, will the CF stand behind them and help them. This is MAJOR advancement on our part!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taliban

[joe g]

VRM --- if this was BUSH increasing our troops in Afganistan it would BE DAILY news on NBC<CBC etc, instead we hear very little. No disprepect to our 9/11, just the truth about how biased reporting is. We don't get the LA times her in ct to be informed of those killed in battle there. IF Bush was in office you would get it nightly fron CNN and NBC. I do agree this is the war we need to WIN
joeg

[Sharroll Celby]

I disagree. Everyone has to agree that Afghanistan is where we should have been all this time, NOT sidetracked into Iraq.

Bush is out of office. Get over it.

[cobra bill]

It's not about news anymore, it has not been for many years, it's about ratings.
If you want real news, watch the BBC

[map]

I want to know why Osama bin Laden isn't a guest at Gitmo by now?
Barry said he knew where he was! Why is it takin so long?

[Bartruff1]

on this war...I suspect he has less than a year to CONVINCE a very skeptical public that we can succeed (at what ?) in a region where history has shown that no one else has. The Russians were there 10 years...we are going on 8 and I doubt we will be there 10..ps According to Jawbraeker we also had him at Tora Bora and that was after 911 and they (Bush Administration) let him get away....this is a fools errand and Obama is no fool....

[VRM]

Originally Posted by joe g

VRM --- if this was BUSH increasing our troops in Afganistan it would BE DAILY news on NBC<CBC etc, instead we hear very little. No disprepect to our 9/11, just the truth about how biased reporting is. We don't get the LA times her in ct to be informed of those killed in battle there. IF Bush was in office you would get it nightly fron CNN and NBC. I do agree this is the war we need to WIN
joeg

If Bush was increasing the troops in Afghanistan I and many others would be standing up and cheering!

Bush made his own news by making a mess of things - he had an 85-90% positive rating after 911 and during the invasion of Afghanistan. The MSM was not critical of Bush in those days - and he was able to convince the majority of people that we needed to invade Iraq with nary a peep from the MSM. His plan for Afghanistan was sidetracked by Iraq, and his lack of a plan beyond the initial invasion of Iraq was a mess. When things started to go sour then the MSM jumped right on the bandwagon because that's what sells. The MSM would not have said a thing against Afghanistan as long as we were still doing the right thing.

Obama is starting to have the same results - his ratings were sky high when he started, but now the reality of the situations we are in, and his handling of them, are starting to show to be not as good as promised. Quite honestly, AFAIAC, sending more troops to Afghanistan is the best thing he has done so far; I am otherwise not impressed (though I also was not expecting to be).

Steve

[joyridin']

I remember clearly that just about every American was behind Bush when he went into Afghanistan. Most of us, Bush supporters or not, cheered him for doing it.

Then he basically left and invaded Iraq under some phoney b.s. Afghanistan slowly deteriorated into the Taliban regime again except a few major cities. So, time to finish the Taliban and get on with life.

Funny...we got rid of Saddam, and now Iran becomes the threat. Guess the Bush administration never thought of that. Gee...wonder what/who was keeping that whole area under control? Could it have been Saddam's threat of war with Iran?

[Ron61]

Those areas have always been a sort of pinwheel of one fighting another and then it will change to once bitter enemies fighting together against another place. Look at the changes in the past years. Now Egypt and Israel have a sort of mutual respect and regard for each other, Syria is willing to talk, and Iran is Iran. After their war with Saddam they settled back into a sort of truce. Then came 09/11 and we had to do something, but what. I think the Taliban should have been top priority, but they seemed to be dropped somewhere along the line. Now Pakistan is working with us to try and eliminate them and Russia is letting us fly supplies through their air space. That would have been unheard of a few years ago. I would like to see Afghanistan cleaned up and then get our troops and people out of all of those places and let them go back to their way of life. And of course we now have North Korea trying to get into the act. I don't believe that any of us will be around to see peace in those areas.

Ron