Remember waking up every morning back in 2003 and 2004 reading about American troops duking it out in bloody clashes against Al Qaeda and the Taliban in Afghanistan ? NOT
When I said we should have concentrated on Afghanistan instead of invading Iraq, I didn't mean that extensive combat operations were still required there. I meant that we should have focused on doing what we could to keep the Taliban from regaining its political influence. We spent a lot of money on the war in Iraq — about $2 trillion so far and still a lot more to be added because of veteran's benefits and the interest on the debt incurred given that we borrowed the money. Not to mention the loss to society that results from all the death and injury.
>>By 2003 … the Taliban [was] waiting for the political climate to change in America before entering Afghanistan.
An analysis that I figure is completely partisan and without foundation. Have you studied the strategic planning of the Taliban between 2004 and 2009? My guess is that they decided early during that time frame that they could regain a good measure of their status in Afghanistan because the Americans were busy elsewhere, and set about doing so. I figure that by the time Obama got in and was able to begin getting us out of Iraq, a lot of the progress we had made between Sept 2002 and March 2003 had been squandered. Certainly we accomplished much less during those six years than we might have otherwise.
>>America's national security is in the hands of a community organizser who ignores the military.
I'd say it's in the hands of the POTUS. When Bush43 was in office, was our national security in the hands of a baseball franchise owner who had been involved in some questionable financial dealings?
>>the president’s determination that the White House tightly control every aspect of national security policy and even operations.
I can understand Secretary Gates' concerns about this. Obama and his closest aides do seem to have a controlling nature. And I can see where a highly skilled administrator like Gates would find this to a degree problematic, even potentially dysfunctional. But I didn't hear anything from Gates about a failed foreign policy and incompetent leadership of the military. So if liberal supporters of the President will concede that Gates' criticism has validity, will conservatives agree with Gates that Obama has been an effective commander-in-chief?
>>The community organizer had a hard-on over the Arab Spring. Upstairs in the living quarters of the communiy olrganizer the bed sheets were soiled every morning from wet dreams.
Can I ask to be spared the puerile sexual taunts?
Am I correct in assuming that some posters here see the Arab Spring as regrettable?