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I wish Obama had been president in 2001 when we first entered into the war with Afghanistan. He gives us objectives and goals, with a timeline for accomplishment, and a (somewhat murky) definition of what 'victory' would look like. He ties in the global situation and the need to ensure the cooperation of Pakistan so that their country can't be used as a refuge. He doesn't confuse al-Qaeda with the Taliban, but understands that they're two different organizations.
Too bad Obama wasn't Commander-in-Chief back then. We might already be out of Afghanistan, and 'Taliban' might be a term for history lessons. If we'd done then what Obama is proposing to do now, if we hadn't been lied into invading Iraq rather than focusing on Afghanistan, things might be different.
But... I don't agree with this decision. As Obama has said in the past, you can't successfully pursue a war in the USA without the backing of the American people, and too many people are already against this. Nor do I think that the goals that he wants to achieve are possible without far more troops than he's sending in, and far more money that anyone is willing to spend with an economy that's already reeling. He won't have the support of the Republicans -- they've already made that abundantly clear -- nor will he have support from many Democrats.
I think this is a mistake. I hope that I'm wrong. I hope that this doesn't lead into the quagmire and the further loss of American lives for very little. But I don't support this.
I'm not convinced, Mr. President.
Too bad Obama wasn't Commander-in-Chief back then. We might already be out of Afghanistan, and 'Taliban' might be a term for history lessons. If we'd done then what Obama is proposing to do now, if we hadn't been lied into invading Iraq rather than focusing on Afghanistan, things might be different.
But... I don't agree with this decision. As Obama has said in the past, you can't successfully pursue a war in the USA without the backing of the American people, and too many people are already against this. Nor do I think that the goals that he wants to achieve are possible without far more troops than he's sending in, and far more money that anyone is willing to spend with an economy that's already reeling. He won't have the support of the Republicans -- they've already made that abundantly clear -- nor will he have support from many Democrats.
I think this is a mistake. I hope that I'm wrong. I hope that this doesn't lead into the quagmire and the further loss of American lives for very little. But I don't support this.
I'm not convinced, Mr. President.