Friday, March 7, 2008

QUOTE FOR TODAY

"Afghanistan is slipping toward failure. The Taliban is back, violence is up, drug production is booming and the Afghans are losing faith in their govrnment. All the legs of our strategy—security, counternarcotics efforts, resconstruction and governance—have gone wobbly.
If we should have had a surge anywhere, it is Afghanistan. And instead of eradicating poppy crops, which forces many farmers to turn to the Taliban, we should go after drug kignpins.
We also need to make good on President Bush's pledge for a Marshall Plan for Afghanistan. In six years, we have spent on Afghanistan's reconstruction only what we spend every three weeks on military operations in Iraq.
Afghanistan's fate is directly tied to Pakistan's future and America's security. When president Pervez Musharraf of Pakistan concluded that we were not serious about finishing the job in Afghanistan, he began to cut deals with extremists in his own country.
As a result, the border area remains a freeway of fundamentalism: the Taliban and Al Queda find sanctuary in Pakistan, while Pakistan suicide bombers wreak havoc in Afghanistan."

Part of a perspective Senator Joe Biden wrote in last Sunday's NEW YORK TIMES

4 comments:

Harryn Studios said...

yeah, if that description is only 'slipping toward failure' - what is the measure of success ...
what was the primary objective - or was it too reactionary and ambiguous in the first place ...
and what is with this new congress' own failure to meet their objectives ...
spin, rhetoric, smoke screens, and delays - i thought wartime [which we're obviously in] was a 'state of emergency or at least urgency ...
maybe our elected officials should be looking into performance enhancers ...

Anonymous said...

Is this criticism of the Senate Committee on Foreig Relations sub-committee concerning Afghanistan?

It has been pointed out by Sen Clinton in the various debates that this sub-committee has failed to hold a single meeting or hearing because its chairman Barak Obama is too busy running for president.

When confronted on this issue Sen Obama stated that he has been too busy to hold hearings and meetings. This is clear evidence that there is no over-sight by the Senate of the Afghan War because of the failure of Sen Obama to investigate the war in any fashion.

Sen Obama should be removed as chairman of this sub-committee for his dereliction.

Inactivity should be considered complicity.

Sen Obama has failed the nation in his lack of concern for his responsibility as chairman of this sub-committee.

JIm said...

The Futility of The War Against Drugs

Al Quaida and the Taliban make big money in Afghanistan, reportedly over a $billion a year. We have a long history of fighting a "Drug War" in the US spending billions and incarcerating millions. We are losing the Drug War and have no prospects of winning it. Wouldn’t it be better for the US government to supply the drugs, tax it, rehabilitate those who can be rehabilitated, and take the profits out of it for drug lords and terrorists. There is an advocacy group for the legalization of drugs called “Law Enforcement Against Prohibition” or LEAP. Prohibition didn’t work in Capone’s time and it doesn’t work in ours. The politcians will not touch the issue. It is up to citizens to force them to face reality. See the attached web site for LEAP. http://www.leap.cc/cms/index.php

Jamie Rose said...

yikes.