BT says

Bring them home…

NOW!!! IF NOT SOONER!!!

Seconded.

The U.S. war effort in Afghanistan is costing American taxpayers about $4 billion a month.

Several officials who have taken part in Gen. McChrystal’s 60-day review of the war effort said they expect him to ultimately request as many as 10,000 more troops — a request many observers say will be a tough sell at the White House, where several senior administration officials have said publicly that they want to hold off on sending more troops until the impact of the initial influx of 21,000 reinforcements can be gauged.

Expect that number to go up. 4 billion a month money we could spend on healthcare.
We need a poll asking Americans what do they want more wars or healthcare? If they say war we ask a follow up question how many more years of war do you think it will take to get Ossama who is in Pakistan if we are fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq?

Mika says it’s fair to call health care reform “death care” if that is how you feel.

45 seconds in to my Morning Joe experience, I have switched to CNN.

Questions:

Does the US military brass now have a vested interest in prolonging the war in Afghanistan? After all, if they leave Iraq and Afghanistan, peace might break out, and then the paths to higher rank will shrink once again.

Does McChrystal have a vested interest in screwing things up so he can appear to be a bigger hero? And be on the JCS track.

Not alleging; just asking if the incentives work that way.

Supporters of the war don’t really care about Osama any more. The goal is to rid the country of Taliban and the John Wayne Americans will be for that as long as it takes. If the PTB feel interest in the wars ebbing then they can whip out Osama’s name to get ‘em all fired up again.

The coming redeployments are the clearest manifestation to date of Gen. McChrystal’s strategy for Afghanistan, which puts a premium on safeguarding the Afghan population rather than hunting down militants.

Gen. McChrystal said the Taliban are moving beyond their traditional strongholds in southern Afghanistan to threaten formerly stable areas in the north and west.

http://online.wsj.com/article/…..18153.html

My bold
Translation We are retreating from chasing the Taliban to hiding in population centers. The Surge Strategy of Gen Petraeus has failed the Taliban are advancing to formerly stable areas after we increased the number of troops.
The General got pulled into a sucker play he fell for the bait.

Granny McConnell is gonna have a cow when he reads Krugman’s piece this morning.

Ronald Reagan was wrong: sometimes the private sector is the problem, and government is the solution.

So what state or nonstate actors are supporting the Taliban. The Soviets completely defeated the Afghan insurgency until the U.S.-Pak-Saudis supported it, and even then the Soviets nearly won until the U.S. supplied Stingers. How come the U.S. can’t match the Soviet record?

F$#% Mika Everyone else who has healthcare lives longer than us and pays less money. I like the idea of living longer. I like the idea of paying less money.
Mika I assume you are talking about euthanasia? Fine Mika if you are ever brain dead on life support we will keep you alive…and play a clip of your words today in and endless loop.

According to a U.N. report, opium production in Afghanistan soared twentyfold in 2003, the year that the U.S. military removed the Tabiban from control of the capital.

Way to go, guys.

peace might break out

Can’t possibly have that! How are the bomb-builders going to eat?

Sounds like a revised version of the Strategic Hamlet program in Nam. Instead of moving people into them the military is moving into the populated areas. I would imagine McChrystal would like to avoid what happened when the military moved the Montagnards into them. My old friend William Colby was in charge of that too.

You completely misunderstand the situation. Victory would screw up everything. Perpetual warfare (and perpetual profits for the bomb-builders) is the sole objective in Afghanistan.

I know that. Just a futile effort on my part to reframe the situation in the reality based world.

The irony was understood.

Well Pakistan created the Taliban. Bush gave Pakistan billions, the Saudi’s run religious schools in Pakistan that I’m sure help recruit for the Taliban.
The opium growers give protection money to the Taliban I’m sure but they do remember the Taliban banned opium when they were in power so I don’t think they support them willingly.
As far as who is supplying them the former Soviet republics have weapons. I’m sure the Afghan army and police have lots of defectors who leave with the weapons we gave them plus whatever they can steal.
Prince of Blackwater fame is accused of gun running nobody says to who though the Taliban maybe?
As to why we are loosing the vets here I’m sure have a better idea than I do. As to why Russia did better well Bush was our President his choices of how many troops on the ground approval of strategy can’t be undone over night if at all.
I expect the Bush legacy project to run from planning the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan but considering how Rummy, Darth and the Neocons micromanage things that interest them I’m sure their fingerprints are all over it.
And the ultimate way to get your idea put into practice in the Bush White House sell Bush on it.

Crap I was really hoping the Vets here were not going to bring up Viet Nam because then this is worse news than I thought.
And I am a Pessimist!

I’m sure everything you mention is a factor. Also, Soviets had more troops, apparently, but if you count U.S. mercenaries, I’m not sure the difference is that great. Still kind of amazing the U.S. isn’t doing bette.

Off to prepare for a 9am meeting.

Can’t have perpetual war unless the opposition has a means to defend itself. Eric Prince of Blackwater was simply doing his part to keep the ball in play.

And every bomb dropped and every drone launched rings up $$$ in the eyes of the politicans, in terms of campaign contributions from the bomb buliders.

It’s the latest insurgency we’ve fought. Hard not to compare strategies and tactics. The terrain may be different but a guerrilla is a guerrilla. The insurgency in Irak will be decided by the Irakis. Afghanistan is a big question mark. The US military is bound and determined to be able one day to say that conventional forces defeated an insurgency supported by the local population.

Ok the plan is reversed we are in the cities the Taliban control the countryside and the food for the cities. The Taliban could provoke riots by cutting off the cities from food.

Ain’t nobody said they were stupid.

Ok then I’m going with Bush’s leadership as the cause bye eCHAN

We need to show up to the RNC with a Death Panel just to see their reaction. I think they’d run away like a bunch of babies!

The US military is bound and determined to be able one day to say that conventional forces defeated an insurgency supported by the local population.

That is really how they think they want a redo on Viet Nam? After years of trying under Bush they still think they can win when by this account they are retreating?

We could scare them with a mass mailing saying you have been selected to participate in a health care death panel. Naw that would be cruel.

Then why can’t the U.S. simply pull out and leave them alone?

Interesting discovery reading over at plainsradio ( scary place.) A call to cancel your AARP membership. From reading the discussion from people who are on Medicare, I think they think Medicare coverage comes from AARP or wherever they buy their supplemental. They don’t understand that Medicare is government administered health insurance, they think they are buying it from insurance companies. This would be an opportunity to educate people that VA and Medicare ARE government administered health insurance, many people have it already. I know, most of us say “well, duh”, but I think there is a group out there that doesn’t understand the basics of Medicare. And of course it overlaps with that group that doesn’t think Pres Obama was born here. Go figure.

I really do wish it were that simple. Look at the geopolitical realities of the region. World governments look at things differently than I do.

It is that simple: War is not the answer.

Mornin’, Mocha. It’s hard to believe that people on Medicare think it comes from AARP. To apply for Medicare one has to call the Social Security Administration, fer cryin’ out loud, and they don’t send a form to fill out. I never joined the AARP. Seems they’re more about making money from their various insurance plans than helping seniors.

Sorry, I threw my rose-tinted glasses away a long time ago.

You see this whiny shit ?

While Woodstock Rocked, GIs Died

With the 40th anniversary of the ‘60s cherished rock concert, the so-called “Sixties Generation” remembers fondly those four days in August 1969. Instead, VFW magazine commemorates the 109 Americans killed in Vietnam then.

I wrote and asked if they were going to have similar articles about what people were doing during the World Series and Superbowl but the email bounced!

Well then in personal terms, please list all the ways that war now benefits you.

Perhaps it’s just an extension of the “Obama’s ruining everything” attitude. But if the whole have-to-have-supplemental-to-medicare, plus Part D drug coverage, has people that confused, maybe some more education would be the key to understanding. And then there’s the realization that a lot of people in this country are not very well educated, not very well informed and they read stuff on the internets and don’t have the savvy to check if it’s true before they spread it to their friends.

Speaking of health care, I’m off to the eye doctor, no vision coverage of course! ;) Namaste Dragon.

It depends on what the question is.

I can’t link to the Euthanasia topic in the above list. Did someone find and mind and change ?

Country Joe and the Fish was there singing about getting out of ‘Nam, wishing the G.I.s could come home like right now.

Very simple question. How does any war benefit anyone (excluding the bomb builders)?

It’s not about me. I wish I had an answer to Afghanistan. I don’t. Now I have a question for you, what happens if we just pulled out of Afghanistan? And I’m not talking about what happens here but in Afghanistan. You’ve got Specter/CIA killing Kennedy, Bush/Cheney knowing about the WTC, so what’s your answer to Afghanistan?

After seeing some of the VFW mucky mucks visit Bay Pines once I wanted nothing more to do with them. Dudes got fat and lazy hangin’ around all the coctail weenie parties in DC. Hell, I was off in the bush during Woodstock and I got no bitch.

i had 15 days to go 40 years ago

roger

Inform all the concerned parties that the U.S. is unilateraly ending hostilities, but will participate in negotiations between the opposing parties, if invitied.

Correction in your note. The insinuation was never made here that Bush/Cheney were simply knowledgeable about the WTC.

Re: CIA/JFK, have you read Plausible Denial by Mark Lane?

Very happy that you made it back.

forget it

me three

You are very naive. I read Lane’s first book on the assassination. It, like all the others since, has more speculation than fact.

FACTS, HARD EVIDENCE, ghostof911. That’s what I want. Not shit that just causes brain farts.

It seems like it benefits rabid fundies like Eric Prince who want to see as many muslims as possible killed.

Yes, that is also part of the equation.

Off to swim in the great capitalist cesspool.

US KIA Irak: 4330

US KIA Afghanistan: 773

Be good to yourselves, and all other living things.

Namaste

Read his second book, about the E. Howard Hunt defamation trial held in South Florida. Evidence was presented at trial. As expected, it was never picked up by the media.

Ask a Mod or BT I can’t help you on that RevBev.

Are you saying the link doesn’t work for you?
http://www.washingtonmonthly.c…..019421.php

Acronym of the Week:

R A Ts

Republican Anarchist Thugs

Thanks to you both. It did start working later in the morning…who knows what gives? All would go blank. Thanks