Kerry Wary of Sending More U.S. Troops to Afghanistan

[tekisui]

Source: Reuters

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry, who will travel to Afghanistan and Pakistan this week, said on Tuesday he was "very wary" of sending more American troops to the region.

Minutes after getting off the phone to President Barack Obama about the issue, Kerry said neither of the two extremes -- a nationwide counterinsurgency and nation-building effort in Afghanistan nor "walking away from the place" -- were do-able.

"The key in Afghanistan is we have got to figure out what is achievable, measured against the legitimate interests of the United States, primary among which is al Qaeda," he said.

"In Afghanistan itself we have to resolve the question of whether the Taliban are per se a threat to us."

Kerry will meet the top U.S. and NATO military commander in Afghanistan, General Stanley McChrystal, and said he had many questions for the man who has recommended a radical change in U.S. strategy there, backed by at least 40,000 more troops.

"I may decide that there is a do-able strategy that achieves the goals I set out, that requires some additional troops," Kerry told Reuters in an interview.

"I don't know the answer to that question. I honestly don't. I am very wary of it because of past experience and because of some of the challenges that I see."

more: http://www.reuters.com/article/gc05/idUSTRE59C69420091013

[slipslidingaway]

1. knr nt

[gratuitous]

2. And well he should be

It's a damn shame we decided to give Stupidhead an additional four years to dick around with two wars instead of putting someone in charge who had some actual military experience. The question now, though, for Kerry is: Bush is gone, and you're still around. Plan on doing anything? There are tens of thousands of military personnel and millions of Iraqis and Afghans whose lives are at risk.

[politicasista]

3. Going to Pakistan and Afghanistan tomorrow

http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/62861-kerry-works-to-squash-pakistani-sketicism-of-us-aid

He is Chairman of the SFRC, so hopefully we will know more when he comes back.

[TexasObserver]

4. Afghanistan is a war that doesn't need fighting.

They've been doing this eight years, and there is no reason to believe they're doing any good at all.

This is a pointless occupation, based upon a premise which hasn't been true for almost 8 years.

[spin]

5. Either we send enough troops to do the job....

or we admit we can't win, especially with a corrupt government in Afghanistan, and we get the hell out.

You fight a war to win in as short a time as possible to reduce casualties on all sides. We could have won in Afghanistan had Bush the Junior put enough troops on the ground and not decided to screw around in Iraq.

My granddaughter's boy friend is just leaving for Afghanistan. He's a combat grunt in the Marines. He doesn't deserve to die or get injured in some futile war in some God forsaken hell hole that we have no stomach to send the forces necessary to win.

Hopefully, Obama will make the right decision and not bend to political winds. We should be in all the way or out.

Unfortunately, Afghanistan reminds me of Vietnam. Perhaps we need to learn lessons from history.

[tekisui]

6. We can't send enough troops to do the job. We don't have them.

It would take 600,000 troops to do the counterinsurgency properly, and it still would be little more that an impossibly expensive crapshoot.

It is long past time to leave.

[spin]

7. Actually, I agree with you...

and it doesn't look like the people of Afghanistan are likely to field a truly competent force anytime in the near future.

But Obama should be getting excellent advice from many informed sources. I have confidence he will make a good decision based on facts.