Afghanistan war is 'cuckoo', says Blair's favourite general

[IndianaGreen]

Afghanistan war is 'cuckoo', says Blair's favourite general

Ned Temko and Mark Townsend
Sunday October 29, 2006
The Observer

Tony Blair's most trusted military commander yesterday branded as 'cuckoo' the way Britain's overstretched army was sent into Afghanistan.
The remarkable rebuke by General the Lord Guthrie came in an Observer interview, his first since quitting as Chief of the Defence Staff five years ago, in which he made an impassioned plea for more troops, new equipment and more funds for a 'very, very' over-committed army.

The decision by Guthrie, an experienced Whitehall insider and Blair confidant, to go public is likely to alarm Downing Street and the Ministry of Defence more than the recent public criticism by the current army chief Sir Richard Dannatt. 'Anyone who thought this was going to be a picnic in Afghanistan - anyone who had read any history, anyone who knew the Afghans, or had seen the terrain, anyone who had thought about the Taliban resurgence, anyone who understood what was going on across the border in Baluchistan and Waziristan - to launch the British army in with the numbers there are, while we're still going on in Iraq is cuckoo,' Guthrie said.

In a unprecedented show of scepticism towards Blair, he said the Prime Minister's promise to give the army 'anything it wants' was unrealistic. 'I'm sure he meant what he said. He is not dishonest. But there is no way you can magic up trained Royal Air Force crews, or trained soldiers, quickly. You can't magic up helicopters, because there aren't any helicopters,' said Guthrie, promoted from chief of army staff to become overall head of the military for Blair's first term of office.

Guthrie said Britain was 'reaping the whirlwind' for assuming too great a 'peace dividend' after the Cold War and risks being ill-equipped for a whole new set of dangers.

http://observer.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,,1934382,00.html

[whistle]

1. Where the Iraq War is about oil, the Afghanistan War is about heroin

...both commodities extremely important to the cash flow supply of capitalists

[irislake]

2. Wasn't it also about a pipeline for UNICOL?

It was my understanding that the war in Afghanistan was planned before 9/11 too.

[IndianaGreen]

3. Bush regime was negotiating with Taliban for a pipeline to be build by UNOCAL

When it comes to profits, capitalists will sleep with Satan himself.

[TheBaldyMan]

10. yes, and the Bush regime fell out with the Taliban when

the Taliban asked for too much money. Apparently OBL wasn't even discussed at the Las Vegas junket that was laid on for the visiting dignataries in the summer of 2001.

[Name removed]

8. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Ms. Clio]

4. how bout that "magnificent victory," now, Hitchens?

I remember all the people who sneered at me 5 years ago when I predicted Afghanistan wouldn't be quite such a cakewalk in the end.

[Lisa]

5. maybe Bush and Blair actually believe the Harry Potter books?

Pointed comment from the general about not being able to "magic up" helicopters, etc. -- does Tony think he can call the Ministry of Magic, I wonder?

[JohnyCanuck]

7. Maybe he was going to ask Samantha to wiggle some up with her nose.

Of course Endora, the contrary cuss that she is, might figure the Poodle reminds her too much of "Darwood", and she just might turn all the new helicopters into a bunch of outhouses.`

[Benhurst]

6. Blair is not dishonest?

Yeah. Sure.

Come on, Labour. Flush :hurts: the nasty little turd.

[CJCRANE]

9. They've missed the window of opportunity.

They put Karzai in with his natty hat and cape, then abandoned him to go and "shock and awe" and occupy Iraq.

Now the Taliban are back and the opium fields.

[plasticsundance]

11. The Taliban only reign in the Southern area

And it was the Taliban that destroyed most of the opium plants. When they fell from power, the opium plants returned.

The problem is that the US needs the unscrupulous warlords, and the warlords make deals with everyone ... including the Taliban.