Continue the War!!!

After months of requests, meetings and planning there is finally a strategy from this administration regarding Afghanistan. The plan will probably be announced next week. So what we have is an announcement from the president that there will be a public announcement of this plan next week.

PLEASE!!! Nothing like seeing yourself on television AGAIN!

A comprehensive strategy was announced back in March that we would send more troops, but concentrate on training their military and police while throwing $1.5 billion a year for FIVE YEARS to support their infrastructure: roads, education, schools. This funding would be shared between Afghanistan and Pakistan. There would also be a new position in place, an inspector general, to make sure these funds were used appropriately and not abused. There was a second bill to support “Opportunity zones” where it would be determined if those fighting were truly Al Queda supporters or if they were coerced somehow.

Maybe I missed something, but I believe this is a strategy this administration has supported.

Now with McChrystal’s request for more troops another debate rages on of how many, if any, troops to give him. Oh wait, maybe no debate rages on, but the announcement needs to wait until next week even though the impression given is that the BIG decision has been made.

The president insinuated that more muscle would be sent and the job would be finished this time. There is talk of including other countries in this movement, as always. There is also talk that Afghanistan needs to be involved in their own security. DUH!! The president said that this region has not had the necessary funding for the war there because the money has been diverted to Iraq, another theme started at the September announcement.
President Obama joked as he said he had given the press a sufficient preview to last until after Thanksgiving. I do not believe this is a joking matter and this was not an appropriate off the cuff response.

He is to said to believe that a decision of this importance should be a full length speech that might take place next Tuesday on his regularly scheduled weekly address. He said he has a pretty good idea where he wants to go with the war. I would hope so with all of the experts and time he has spent on this matter. I guess it easier to point fingers at the previous administration than come up with a solution yourself.

General McChrystal, U.S. and Ambassador to Afghanistan Karl Eikenberry, are expected in DC next week to rally the troops to open up Washington’s pocketbook to support this new plan.

How disappointing is this. First there was the Obama campaign which wanted to pull out from the war. Then there was give him 100 days to get something to happen. Then there was 100 days is not enough to really get anything done. Then in March there was the band aid giving more troops and billions of dollars of infrastructure funding. Now there is the “I know what I want to do, but I’m not going to tell you exactly what that is.”

Well, I really liked the campaign plan of lets get our troops out of there and bring them home, but the matter is obviously much more complicated then President Obama originally thought. I hope there is a true exit strategy announced and not just a request for more troops and more money this time, but I am not holding my breath this time.

I guess we will, make that might, know next week.