Obama Quietly Authorizes Up to 15,000 More U.S. Troops for Afghanistan

[LurkerNoMore]

Personally the best way is to just set off a mini nuke in the region.

Then blame it on Al-Q for not being smart enough to handle a nuclear device.

We could even cook up some "found" video tape that survives the blast.  Sort of like Atta's passport survived that crash.  On the video tape it would be two jackasses in dirty robes and fake beards. 

Scene 1 :
*Akbar enters room to find Mohammad peering into a dusty battered suitcase that is on the table*

Akbar - "Mohammad.  What is it you have?"

Mohammad - "Allah be praised Akbar, for I have the solution to all woes for Allah's followers."

Akbar - *eyes get big* " Mohammad, you mean you have... are you serious?  You have TIVO there?"

Mohammad - "No Akbar.  Has you no shame.  I has nukkeleer bomb".

Akbar - "Ooohh lemme see."    *peers in suitcase*  "Hey, what dis red button do"?

Mohammad - *slaps Akbar on the wrist*  "Akbar you no touch button.  You no touch anything!  Now stay out way.  I must go and mail off first payment of  Bill Me Later to de Rushhans for dis bomb.  You stay.  But you NO TOUCH".

*Mohammad leaves room*

Akbar - "oh he all mister big and important now that he got himselfs a bomb.  Ohhh.. you no touch Akbar.  Well fuck him.  FUCK YOU MOHAMMAD!  I wills touch.  Watch this Allah"

*pushes red button*



BOOM!

[headhuntersix]

We will neither kill nor hug our way out of this war. The ROE changes from theater to theater...240 forget the Geneva convention. The US follows the Law of warfare, which has nothing to do with torture of any of that crap. Most of what we signed as regards the accords don't apply. These people don't have POW camps, uniforms or play by any rules...we do. 15,00 troops is not near enough. The whole strategy needs to change or morph. Things are changing again and organizations that had been steadily drawn down are being stood back up to deal with Afghanistan. Obama needs to make up his mind and decide what he wants to do pretty damm quick. He also needs to make sure the money follows. All the crap from Iraq needs to be replaced or repaired and sent to Afghanistan. We need more helicopters...C-130's and other lift platforms to get folks where they need to be. My worry is that the Dems will sit on the funds to reapir once they see less money being spent in Iraq as we continue to draw down.

[Skip8282]

skip & 33,

Is obama doing the right thing by sending 15k forces to afghanistan?

If the military says they need them, then of course he's doing the right thing.  That's not to say it will give us a decisive victory. 

The more difficult decision with Afghanistan lies in the road ahead.  As Dr. Gates noted, "I believe the decisions that the president will make for the next stage of the Afghanistan campaign will be among the most important of his presidency, so it is important that we take our time to do all we can to get this right."  Let's just hope they don't take too long.

If the decision is made to stay, then I think you give the military EVERYTHING they need to accomplish the mission.

[headhuntersix]

They're setting up Biden as some great military thinker..he's been wrong since the Gulf War, Give Stan what he thinks he needs.

[Skip8282]

They're setting up Biden as some great military thinker..he's been wrong since the Gulf War, Give Stan what he thinks he needs.

Well since he likes to mislead people into thinking his chopper was forced down by AQ, maybe he thinks he's now "hardened" and "experienced" enough to make tough military choices.  Hopefully, the administration will listen to the experts.

[garebear]

The "ROE" isn't some static military law that was enacted however long ago by congress or something. There are ROE's for every theater and, as far as I know, they can change from time to time as the situation dictates. Right now our soldiers aren't going to get the support if there is a chance that civilian causalities could be a result, kicking in doors, house to house stuff is also a no-no (as far as I know, correct me if I'm wrong) and the list goes on. We have The Geneva Conventions, correct, but in the terms of the Rules of Engagement in Afghanistan, they aren't the same thing.

The problem is that the enemy knows our ROE's because they were, stupidly, publicized and they know exactly how to fight our troops while they are constrained by the ROE's. Like Operation Rolling THunder during Vietnam, it was a big "showcase" air campaign that while it dropped lots of bombs, it did little to destroy supplies, infrastructure etc...because the "no bombing" zones were plentiful and the communists knew where to keep the important war waging supplies/fuel etc to keep them protected. Compare that to the Linebacker air operations in the early 1970's that took of the gloves and essentially crippled the communist forces.

Spot on! McChrystal took a lot away from us and I've been here since June. He says that will curb casualties in the long run. That's great, if you're coming here in a few years. I guess we're just supposed to go home in boxes for now.