Our erstwhile ally Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai is back reminding American citizens of the waste of thousands of dead and wounded U.S. soldiers and hundreds of billions of dollars. Karzai has refused to sign an agreement to keep a significant number of troops in the country for training and counter-insurgency operations — an agreement guaranteeing more U.S. losses in lives and treasure that the Obama Administration wants signed. Karzai however has been negotiating with the Taliban to force the U.S. out and return them to power in a sharing arrangement with this government. In the meantime, he is repeating his condemnations of the United States as a “colonial” power and alleged that insurgent attacks were actually staged by U.S. forces. I understand that the “enemy of our enemy is our friend” but what about the friend of our enemy?
We have been discussing the continuing gushing costs of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq while we cut basic programs and services. I was happy to even see a member ask about the costs. Most politicians have refused to risk the political costs of being blamed for a withdrawal or a perceived defeat. As a result, our personnel were left in harm’s way, even as the country’s president called us “demons”, our allies denied basic rights to woman and religious minorities, and polls showed intense anti-American sentiments. Hundreds of billions were spent to provide political cover for leaders who needed to show that they were tough on terror. Of course, while calling the U.S. demons and liars, Karzai continued to demand billions in aid and bags full of cash delivered to his personal office.
While publicly suggesting that he has fought to end the war, the Obama Administration has been struggling to keep troops in the country with the promise of the continuation of huge amounts of aid in one of the most corrupt governments on Earth. Ironically, with their fortunes improving on the field, the Taliban do not appear that enthusiastic about teaming up with Karzai and he may be forced to sign the agreement. The Obama Administration will then have another foreign policy victory: an agreement with a man who declared us to be the enemy and tried to reach an alliance with the Taliban who has killed U.S. soldiers so that we can spend billions more to prop up his corrupt government.
In the meantime, U.S. citizens are being told of the need to cut environmental, scientific, and educations programs for lack of millions while we are fighting to given Karzai and his government billions more in support, military operations, and government contracts.
It reminds me of that great line in Three Days of the Condor when an intelligence officer (Higgins) speaks to the head of the agency about his storied career as they plot the death of an innocent former employee played by Robert Redford:
Mr. Wabash: I go even further back than that. Ten years after The Great War, as we used to call it. Before we knew enough to number them.
Higgins: You miss that kind of action, sir?
Mr. Wabash: No, I miss that kind of clarity.
Perhaps the thing I miss the most is not the loss of principle (which was abandoned by the Obama Administration years ago) but the clarity as to who exactly is the bad guy in this war.
Source: NY Times
For those who are confused, some clarity. Karzai has learned that if he keeps coming up with 1 insane story after another, that he actually could get the USA/ NATO to pull out. Think. Who is served by this? Karzai wins in that his years of negative propaganda uses the people in the civilized world to make us turn on our governments to get out. If and when USA leaves, Taliban will move back in, and Karzai will also leave along with all those people rich enough to do so, just like before…referring to USSR war. Again Taliban will return imposing their rule even harder than before.
But this tool Karzai has been using has of late been turned against him. World powers are realizing those who would replace him are very capable of transforming Afghanistan into a modern peaceful country. What is needed is to remove Karzai and his poisonous government party. Once this is done, every religion on the planet can declare Christmas!
It is extra bad for Karzai because he was only the first President and feels used. It is not his legacy he is angry about, rather he was the stooge to get the process of returning central government to Afghanistan after a 45 period of absence. Now much more intelligent people are running and with abilities he never had in 13 years in control. The world will see more progress in less than 5 years of true leadership of next President, and view Karzai as the man who lived the good life during the war, but selfishly did nothing to advance his country, to make it a better place for all Afghans.
Sadly in Karzai’s final days he has proven to be delusional and simply evil. He has won the outrage of Afghanistan’s financial backers, and now the Indian government is “Perturbed over reports about Afghan President Hamid Karzai’s clandestine engagement with Taliban, Indian foreign minister Salman Khurshid will visit the country next week for a meeting with him”–The Indian government has up to now been neutral in The Washington-Karzai soap opera and has promised to commit TWO BILLION in assistance. Next weeks meeting might really be in regards to India pulling that aid. If and when that occurs, Karzai is likely going to burn at the stake.
CS, as one fellow said in a recent article: There will be a time to have a war with the 8th Century, but today is not that day.
We’ve squandered 12 years of not having a war, while paying in lives and finances, for having a war.
To anyone else reading:
I’ve friends and a family member who have been “to the Stan” and thankfully back. It’s not a “Taliban country” any more than it’s the 51st state in the Union.
“Afghanistan” is lastly a country.
Next to last is your politics, though not for all.
Sort of the middle is your religion, though not for all.
Third from the top for most, is your Province, as that’s an extension of the top two.
Second: Clan
First: Family.
Like any feudal system, an insult to your family requires compensation.
A killing, a maiming, the disposal of your ugly widowed sister and her female children. The male children will be raised here… with our family, in our clan, in our Province.
Like any feudal system, an insult to your clan requires compensation.
A killing, a maiming, horses, goats, gold, guns.
Like any feudal system, and invasion of your Province requires the clans and families to repulse the invaders – or die a glorious death.
That foreigners, a political or religious leader not of your clan, not of your sect, defiles your Province?
Requires a response. Requires that all men, and all children wishing to be men, respond to this grave insult.
Peaceniks? Never marry, never hold property, never hold station.
At one time, we were smart-enough to use all of this, against the Soviets.
And for a very brief while, against the Taliban and their Al Q’aeda allies.
Then we purged all of those smart people from government, government agencies, and the military.
It’s not the American way. The $en$ible, honorable, $uperior technology trump$ human assets way.
Which is damn good for the Dow Jones Industrial Average.
And that alone, is what matters.
YF, remember the conversation we had when you were here? People from that culture remind me of what a guy told me about the Japanese. He had lost a hand and part of his arm on Ishi Shima. I asked him what kind of solders the Japanese army had. I meant with their training and skill set, but he responded, “What kind of solder were they? Damn good soldiers. They fought until you had to kill them because they would not quit fighting.”
Yup,
The definition of insanity is to keep doing the same thing over and over, while expecting a different outcome. Didn’t work for the English in the 19th century, didn’t work for the USSR in the 20th, and is not going to work for the US in the 21st. Kenny Rogers was right. You have to know when to hold up and know when to fold up.
Jonathan Turley wrote:
“Perhaps the thing I miss the most is not the loss of principle (which was abandoned by the Obama Administration years ago) but the clarity as to who exactly is the bad guy in this war.”
It’s your blog, your opinion. I’m a little surprised at the seeing myopia here to for unique to the Daily Kos.
My recollection is that everyone happily marched to war, before the dust settled in Manhattan. The TV was filled with so-called “newscasters” seeking endorsement of their producer’s opinion that “America demands action… right (general/congressman/senator/governor/mayor/secretary/noted author)?”
Once we decided to end a war fought as financial and logistical backers of the Northern Alliance, we became the next in a succession of failing foreign invaders. We took the Afghans out of the fight for Afghanistan.
No great news, as we decamped Afghanistan as soon as the Soviets left.
“Oooh nasty warlords. Subjugating women. We have to distance ourselves from that sort of thing.”
While marching towards Political Correctness and Cultural Sensitivity training here at home.
So lets not do what works, and do what makes Contractors money.
That’s not unique to Obama, as the BushCo administration failed to patent the concept.
What’s unique to Obama is to not fulfill ANY promise to end this, restore the missing Fourth Amendment, and to abide in any increased fashion to the Constitution of these United States.
anon on February 5, 2014 at 5:25 am
I have seen the enemy, and the enemy is us.
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What anon, Pogo and Walt Kelly said, albeit a bit differently.
“Fraud in Army Recruiting Bonus Program May Cost Nearly $100 Million”
By HELENE COOPER FEB. 4, 2014
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/05/us/politics/wide-reaching-army-recruiting-fraud-described-by-investigators.html?hpw&rref=us&_r=0
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“U.S. Army Recruiters Investigated for Fraud”
By REUTERS FEB. 4, 2014
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/04/us/army-recruiters-investigated-for-fraud.html
Small potatoes, $$$-wise and in the grand scheme of things, but the corruption runs much deeper. It’s just the tip…