U.S. Defense Bill Would Pay Taliban to Switch Sides

[Hissyspit]

Source: Reuters

U.S. defense bill would pay Taliban to switch sides

Tue Oct 27, 2009 4:48pm EDT

* Bill includes provision to woo Taliban fighters

* Plan is to emulate Iraq program

* Obama plans to meet military commanders on Friday (Adds Obama's meeting with joint chiefs, quotes, details)

By Susan Cornwell

WASHINGTON, Oct 27 (Reuters) - The defense bill President Barack Obama will sign into law on Wednesday contains a new provision that would pay Taliban fighters who renounce the insurgency, Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin said on Tuesday.

The provision establishes a program in Afghanistan similar to one used in Iraq where former fighters were re-integrated into Iraqi society, Levin told Reuters. Obama plans to sign the bill authorizing Pentagon operations for fiscal 2010 on Wednesday, the White House said.

Reaching out to moderate Taliban members is part of the Obama administration's plan to turn around the eight-year war in Afghanistan. Levin also has advocated trying to convince Taliban fighters to change sides by luring them with jobs and amnesty for past attacks.

- snip -

As part of his overall strategy review on Afghanistan, Obama is debating whether to send more U.S. troops to the region and is set to meet on Friday with Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the heads of the military services, the White House said.

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/homepageCrisis/idUSN2796610._CH_.2400

[The_Casual_Observer]

1. No wonder they are want to extend the unemployment benefits

right now. Imagine the outrage if they didn't.

[Solly Mack]

2. K/R

[joeycola]

3. it will work for a while--look at Iraq. We paid them for a few years and now

the bombings have restarted now that most of the money is drying up.

[nradisic]

4. Stupid, stupid, stupid....

The Taliban beilefs are based on sheer ignorance. The same way the right wing wackos that watch Fox, the Teabaggers - like the Taliban are people totally brainwashed by ideology, cannot be paid to "switch sides". The idea has to come from some Republican moron....Geez!

[crim son]

13. Exactly my thought.

You'd think that by now we'd have learned to take the peoples' ideology and culture into consideration as we plan our "strategy". Idiots.

[EFerrari]

15. Not really. The men fighting with the Taliban need security for their families,

and need jobs so they can feed them. That is their first priority.

And it doesn't come from a Republican moron -- the idea that the Taliban are some kind of demons from space did.

[AndyA]

5. Why must we keep manipulating other countries? The outcome is always a bad one.

Have we learned nothing from Iraq? Iran?

[Soylent Brice]

6. my head hurts.

[asjr]

7. What on earth is a "moderate Taliban member?"

[Somawas]

12. A critter very similar to a "moderate Republican."

People have heard about them, but no one has actually seen one.

[dmosh42]

8. And what are these bribes meant to do?

Will this be another Arab democracy? What bullshit!

[architect359]

9. Good luck with that. n/t

[LynnTheDem]

10. Yes, that worked so well with Osama bin Laden.

Will America EVER learn????

[Robb]

11. I believe it worked until we bounced our first check. nt

[uppityperson]

14. I'm torn here

On 1 hand, what is a "moderate Taliban" as I associate them with religious extremists? Is he hoping that those who associate with Taliban out of fear or inability to have enough to eat/etc will switch over?

On the other hand, giving them jobs will certainly help since that is a big part of the larger problem there, how to survive.

On the 3rd hand, I wouldn't trust any of them to continue to be decent men.

On the 4th hand, it could give a break for some, hoping to make a larger societal change if they could figure out how to be able to live without the extremist bs.

[dgibby]

16. Insanity!

We keep doing the same thing over and over again, expecting a different outcome. Classical definition of insanity.

[TomPaine76]

17. You'd think all that aid we gave in 79 would've done the trick.

Sorry. Long-term memory strikes again.

[ConcernedCanuk]

18. AGAIN? - - didn't they sorta do that before the Soviet Union got their ass kicked?

.
.
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and let's be real.

Would the USA be having anything to do in the Middle East if they didn't have OIL??

methinks not