Afghanistan Pullback: U.S. May Focus On Drone Attacks

[mucifer]

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama's strategy against al-Qaida may shift away from more troops in Afghanistan and toward more drone strikes against terrorist targets.

As the war worsens in Afghanistan, Obama could steer away from the comprehensive counterinsurgency strategy he laid out this spring and toward a narrower focus on counterterror operations.

Two senior administration officials said Monday that the renewed fight against al-Qaida could lead to more missile attacks on Pakistan terrorist havens by unmanned U.S. spy planes. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because no decisions have been made.

The armed drones could contain al-Qaida in a smaller, if more remote, area and keep its leaders from retreating back into Afghanistan, the officials said.

The prospect of a White House alternative to a deepening involvement in Afghanistan comes as administration officials debate whether to send more troops – as urged in a blunt assessment of the deteriorating conflict by the top U.S. commander there, Gen. Stanley McChrystal.

The president thus far has not endorsed the McChrystal approach, saying in television interviews over the weekend that he needs to be convinced that sending more troops would make Americans safer from al-Qaida.

Tellingly, Obama reiterated in those interviews that his core goal is to destroy al-Qaida, which is not present in significant numbers in Afghanistan. He did not focus on saving Afghanistan.

"I'm not interested in just being in Afghanistan for the sake of being in Afghanistan or saving face," Obama told NBC's "Meet the Press" on Sunday.


Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/09/22/afghanistan-pullback-plan_n_294264.html


Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/09/22/afghanistan-pullback-plan_n_294264.html

[Jennicut]

1. Michael Ware was on CNN last night and said we can never "win" there

Just hand build up the Afghani police as best we can and then hand it over to them. That is about all we can do.
Anyone who wants to send even more troops over there is crazy.

[karynnj]

2. It is good that Obama is taking the time to get the policy right

For a very good understanding of the different alternative policies, last Wednesday's Senate Foreign Relations Committee Hearing is well worth watching or reading Kerry's, Lugar's and the experts prepared statements. All are linked to this page - http://foreign.senate.gov/hearings/2009/hrg090916p.html (clicking the title gets the video - it actually starts 22 minutes in. ) They explain clearly the difference between counter terrorism and counter insurgency. One think that is clear is that it is not inconsistent to have a counter terrorism policy and still have projects to help the Afghan people. ( here is an article on the hearing - http://news.newamericamedia.org/news/view_article.html?article_id=b8eb5c365fc82d8c525e89411b767a8d )

There was a followup hearing - http://foreign.senate.gov/hearings/2009/hrg090917a.html labeled "countering the threat of failure in Afghanistan.

Obama is right to take the time needed to make sure that we have a policy that is really worth the sacrifices that implementing it entail.

[OwnedByFerrets]

3. Roger Waters says it best. The Bravery of Being out of Range

You have a natural tendency
To squeeze off a shot
You're good fun at parties
You wear the right masks
You're old but you still
Like a laugh in the locker room
You can't abide change
You're at home on the range
You opened your suitcase
Behind the old workings
To show off the magnum
You deafened the canyon
A comfort a friend
Only upstaged in the end
By the Uzi machine gun
Does the recoil remind you
Remind you of sex
Old man what the hell you gonna kill next
Old timer who you gonna kill next
I looked over Jordan and what did I see
Saw a U.S. Marine in a pile of debris
I swam in your pools
And lay under your palm trees
I looked in the eyes of the Indian
Who lay on the Federal Building steps
And through the range finder over the hill
I saw the front line boys popping their pills
Sick of the mess they find
On their desert stage
And the bravery of being out of range
Yeah the question is vexed
Old man what the hell you gonna kill next
Old timer who you gonna kill next
Hey bartender over here
Two more shots
And two more beers
Sir turn up the TV sound
The war has started on the ground
Just love those laser guided bombs
They're really great
For righting wrongs
You hit the target
And win the game
From bars 3,000 miles away
3,000 miles away
We play the game
With the bravery of being out of range
We zap and maim
With the bravery of being out of range
We strafe the train
With the bravery of being out of range
We gain terrain
With the bravery of being out of range
With the bravery of being out of range
We play the game
With the bravery of being out of range

[mucifer]

4. that's true