(Senator Carl) Levin warns US has lost initiative in Afghanistan

[sabra]

Source: AP

WASHINGTON – Senate Armed Services Chairman Carl Levin says the U.S. has "lost the initiative" in the war against insurgents in Afghanistan.

In a speech to the Senate Friday, Levin says he wants heightened training of Afghan armed forces before committing more American troops.

Levin, D-Mich., urged the Obama administration to expand Afghan forces to 240,000 troops and Afghan police to 160,000 officers by 2013.

Key Congressional Democratic leaders told the administration this week that they want to see detailed plans for the war before agreeing to bolster U.S. forces in Afghanistan. A request for more troops could come within weeks from the top American commander.

Levin first warned of his reservations about more U.S. troops last week after a visit to the region.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090911/ap_on_go_co/us_afghanistan_congress

[unhappycamper]

1. So Levin, a Democrat, expects us to stay in Afghanistan for

four more years before we decide if we're going to add more troops? Gimmeafuckingbreak.

[blue_onyx]

2. Where did he say that?

He said he wanted "to see detailed plans for the war before agreeing to bolster U.S. forces in Afghanistan."

He also want the administration "to expand Afghan forces to 240,000 troops and Afghan police to 160,000 officers by 2013.

Just because Levin wants to see the increase in Afgan troops in 4 years doesn't mean that he wants to wait that long before deciding if we're going to add more troops.

I think he's right...we need some detailed plans before Obama expands this war. I think we've done what we can and need to leave.

[unhappycamper]

4. FYI, it's not a war.

It's an occupation.

[Enrique]

3. give it some time

we've only been there eight years.

[Crowman1979]

5. On one hand, Obama is trying to unfuck a conflict that W messed up.

On the other hand, it seems as if were chasing ghosts.

[Romulox]

6. How in fuck is ANOTHER surge into Afghanistan in the best interest of the people of Michigan,

In 4 years, or tomorrow?

Withdraw NOW.

[Crowman1979]

7. Exactly, how the hell is afghanistan going to pay the bills? Or help with getting a job.

[demigoddess]

8. It was a damn, dumb, stupid idea in the beginning, and always will be

I was thinking this morning, that if someone breaks into your house, sets a bedroom on fire and, heaven forbid, kills a member of your family, your response is not to throw all your money on the living room floor and burn the whole house down, throwing more family members into the inferno. That is exactly what we did in Afghanistan and Iraq. Stupid stupid stupid.


:banghead: :banghead: :banghead:

[think]

9. End the war NOW

It's sad we even have to say it........

[gratuitous]

10. Hmmm, what if . . . ?

What if, instead of heading into Afghanistan guns blazing, tanks tanking and drones droning, we had gone in with shovels and bulldozers and bricks and mortar? What if instead of trying to tear Afghanistan apart to ferret out some needles in the haystacks of a mountainous terrain, we had started building good roads between villages? Schools instead of armed camps? Laid sewer lines instead of land mines?

Surely the Taliban would have objected, and worked hard to blunt our efforts to build Afghanistan's infrastructure and strengthen its societal ties. There would be many false starts, many projects begun that had to be abandoned. But some of it would have taken hold. Some of it would be benefiting people. Islands of modernity growing however slowly, and their effect and rumors of their effect spreading through the population and the countryside.

Would we have spent so many billions of dollars? Would so many lives have been wasted? What would we have to show for eight years of relentless work on behalf of Afghanistan instead of eight years of relentless war against Afghanistan? "Building peaceful relations takes so much time! The outcome isn't assured! What if our people are killed, or people who cooperate with U.S. efforts are killed?" Well, we've taken eight years so far, which seems like a pretty long time. The outcome doesn't look assured, or even any better than when we invaded the country. And could construction workers possibly hope to kill as many people as our military has?

The only thing worse than what we've done so far in Afghanistan would be to dick around on the same course for another four years and recognize that we haven't done a goddam thing.