Kerry op-ed: Losing Afghanistan

[ProSense]

AT WAR

Losing Afghanistan

We're not adequately fighting the war we should be fighting.

BY JOHN KERRY
Monday, September 25, 2006 12:01 a.m. EDT

Snip...

If Washington seems to have forgotten Afghanistan, it is clear the Taliban and al Qaeda have not. Less than five years after American troops masterfully toppled the Taliban, the disastrous diversion in Iraq has allowed these radicals the chance to rise again. Time is running out to reverse an unfolding disaster in the war we were right to fight after 9/11.

Funded largely by a flourishing opium trade, a resurgent Taliban effectively controls entire swathes of southern Afghanistan. Roadside bomb attacks have more than doubled this year, and suicide attacks have more than tripled. Britain's commander in Afghanistan recently said that "the intensity and ferocity of the fighting is far greater than in Iraq on a daily basis."

Al Qaeda is again taking advantage: The recent plot to blow up U.S.-bound jets was reportedly masterminded by an al Qaeda affiliate operating from Afghanistan. The same killers who attacked us on 9/11 are still plotting against America--and they're still holed up in Afghanistan. President Karzai put it simply: "The same enemies that blew up themselves in . . . the twin towers in America are still around." And while President Bush frequently quotes Ayman al-Zawahiri, he hasn't mentioned that on the fifth anniversary of 9/11 al Qaeda's No. 2 described the situation in Afghanistan as "very good."

When did denying al Qaeda a safe haven in Afghanistan cease to be an urgent American priority? Somehow, we ended up with seven times more troops in Iraq--which even the administration now admits had nothing to do with 9/11--than in Afghanistan, where the killers still roam free. Even as the president claimed we are on the offensive against terrorists, Gen. James Jones, the U.S. commander of NATO forces in Afghanistan, made an urgent plea for more troops to fight the Taliban. President Karzai has also appealed for more troops and support, and on my trip to Afghanistan this year, he stressed to me the importance of a robust American troop presence. And on Sept. 11 this year, U.S. Col. Michael Harrison noted "more troops would be welcome" in the hunt for bin Laden and his henchmen.

more...

http://www.opinionjournal.com/editorial/feature.html?id=110008993

[blm]

1. Thanks for riding Bush on Afghanistan failures since Jan 2002, Senator.

Even though so many would not condemn Bush's failures in Afghanistan, you always did.

Salute.

[KKKarl is an idiot]

2. Good thread

Well written. Hope it gets the air time it deserves.

[Mass]

3. Kerry has been fighting this battle for the last two weeks in editorials

and speeches. When will the media cover this?

[blm]

5. Maybe media is highlighting the Clinton burst to COVER UP the story

about the REAL failures of BushInc's decisions that are HURTING the war on terror, not helping.

[ginnyinWI]

4. K&R n/t

[kerrygoddess]

6. The right-wingnut blogs

are all over this as to be expected. Anyone brave enough to do battle can find the links in my post about the OP/ED here - http://blog.thedemocraticdaily.com/?p=4286

[TrogL]

7. Canada's carrying the ball

and it's getting heavy.

Other countries are pulling out. The war in Afghanistan has become increasingly unpopular in Canada. Given that the Conservative government's minority status could be threatened by this, don't be surprised if Canada begins reducing its exposure.

[wisteria]

8. At least someone is paying attention- I am grateful that Senator Kerry

is keeping up on this. Where is everyone else? Where is the outrage? This is another example of Bush screwing up. The media should be all over this, yet we hear very little.
This is another, Kerry was right moment.

[Tom Rinaldo]

9. Clark has an Op-Ed on Afghanistan in the new Newsweek

Since you asked. At least Clark is in the International edition, Newsweek is playing games with American readers as shown on another DU thread. Clark's Op-Ed is called:

"What We Must Do Now
Success is possible. But make no mistake. We are not winning."

Here is the link to Newsweek:
http://msnbc.msn.com/id/14973488/site/newsweek /

Here is the link to the DU Discussion about it:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=2843822&mesg_id=2843822

You are absolutely right though. There needs to be more outrage over this. I'm very glad to see Kerry writing about Afghanistan also.

[Mass]

10. Shame on Newsweek not to publish that in the US edition..