dagblog - Comments for "Is Norm Dicks Signaling a Sooner End to Military Action in Afghanistan?"

Its the Domino Affect!

Richard Day — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 05:56:14 +0000

In reply to Islamamommadad is closer to

Its the Domino Affect! Dominos came from Asia, Right?

Islamamommadad is closer to

NCD — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 03:56:15 +0000

Islamamommadad is closer to Kalamazoo than I care to discuss. A menace indeed. If we don't stop them in the hills of Wazooistan, where do we take a stand, do we just surrender?

WHAT ABOUT THE UNIVERSAL

Richard Day — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 02:53:14 +0000

In reply to In other words Richard, Stay

WHAT ABOUT THE UNIVERSAL MUSLIM MENACE?

You act as if Muslimism/secularism/socialism......were just a joke!

hahahaahhaahah

In other words Richard, Stay

NCD — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 00:26:53 +0000

In reply to We must stay in Vietnam until

In other words Richard, Stay The Course!

We have made huge, meaningful progress, but it is fragile. It could be reversed in an Islamamabad minute, or two Islamammabad minutes. Less than three anyway, it could all fall apart real fast. Think of how long it takes there to tell a lie, tip off a Taliban terrorist, sell nuclear weapon designs, or cash a blank $300 million dollar Pentagon check. Huge strides forward....but fragile....can't let up.

We need the military and troops on the ground to ensure a political resolution, the war cannot be won on the battlefield.

We must stay in Vietnam until

Richard Day — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 18:11:11 +0000

In reply to Is Norm Dicks Signaling a Sooner End to Military Action in Afghanistan?

We must stay in Vietnam until our job is completed. Our President had a secret plan to get us out of there and now that he is in his second term, things look a lot better.

The spread of communism world wide is the single biggest threat to our existence as a free nation.

Monolithic communism will turn all humans into robots and without the full attention of President Nixon, we would have lost all our freedoms to Lenin and Marx and Mao and the rest of them.

The traitors to our Constitution and our Flag would have us surrender like a pack of mongrel dogs and would have our nation's status in the world order.....

Oh sorry Mac, wrong decade!

I get so damn confused.

Couple links of

we are stardust — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 16:00:31 +0000

In reply to Is Norm Dicks Signaling a Sooner End to Military Action in Afghanistan?

Couple links of interest:

http://www.nationaljournal.com/whitehouse/stay-the-course-white-house-af...

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/51bf1f8c-96cf-11e0-aed7-00144feab49a.html#axzz...

Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), second in command in the Senate leadership Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and head of the DSCC Patty Murray (D-WA) have since signed.

Yes NCD there great risks

tmccarthy0 — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 14:45:01 +0000

In reply to Lets see how many troops are

Yes NCD there great risks with a "too quick draw-down", and there are great political dangers by not indicating to the American people that this administration is serious about getting out of Afghanistan.

I agree with you that the political risks are very great given the GOP's control of the meme that Democrats are weak on defense. But I don't know for a fact that the President has simply given in to Petraeus because I have no way of knowing the debate that goes on when he meets with his top advisers. The President at this point in time seems to be indicating the mission is over. There is risk in a resurgence of the Taliban, but no greater than the risks that are posed by the many tribal lords who are vying for power in the Afghan nation-state. Norm Dicks is a powerful congressman and close ally of the Presidents, his statements indicate to me that there will be larger withdrawals of troops than the military would like to see. Of course we will not find out until July when the President makes his speech.

Lets see how many troops are

NCD — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 14:13:23 +0000

In reply to So you are refuting what Norm

Lets see how many troops are home by Christmas. It would be nice to see 30K US troops leave Afghanistan with no US replacements by the end of this year. Talk is cheap, especially from politicians. Yes Americans are sick of the war and have been for years, but O knows any signs the Taliban are getting their mojo back before 11/2012 will be exploited ruthlessly as a sign O 'cut and run', and isn't tough enough, by the GOP, OBL being gone notwithstanding.

The political risks of a quick drawdown to O are greater than the rewards given the GOP's proclivity to exploit anything to scare Americans and claim as they always do, and without any real proof, that Democrats are weak on defense. Also, O has pretty much given in to Petraeus on what P wants troop wise, we will have to see what develops.

Encouraging stuff. Thanks for

Cho — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 07:01:24 +0000

In reply to Is Norm Dicks Signaling a Sooner End to Military Action in Afghanistan?

Encouraging stuff. Thanks for highlighting it.

So you are refuting what Norm

tmccarthy0 — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 06:52:23 +0000

In reply to No one in DC is going to

So you are refuting what Norm Dick's stated while talking to reporters? And if you are refuting what he says do you have evidence of any kind that demonstrates otherwise? Are you discounting out of hand the Daily Beast column by Gelb I linked to which seems to confirm what Dicks is saying. The Daily Beast article and Dicks' statements were both written the same day. Do you have other sources indicating otherwise?

The President himself stated just one week ago that "we will begin a transition this summer. By killing bin Laden, by blunting the momentum of the Taliban, we have now accomplished a lot of what we set out to accomplish 10 years ago.”

The only question remaining for serious students of the war is how many troops will the draw-down initially include and over what period of time will the draw-down take place. Will it be the full 30,000+ that Biden seems to be pushing for or will it be the 15,000 or fewer troops that Defense Secretary Gates seems to find acceptable. But if you have some other evidence to offer, it would fascinating to read and I look forward to your providing those sources.

Keep in mind, there is an election next year and the President and his staff recognize that the war in Afghanistan is not popular with Americans. Wouldn't it be in his best interest when it comes to the election to begin to withdraw troops from Afghanistan? The President seems to think the mission is clearly over.