Give U.S. troops time to win, generals say

[unhappycamper]

Maj. Gen. Anthony Jackson, commander of Marine Corps Installations West.


Give U.S. troops time to win, generals say
By Gretel C. Kovach, UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
Thursday, June 17, 2010 at 12:04 a.m.

As skepticism mounts over President Barack Obama’s plan to quell the insurgency in Afghanistan and begin withdrawing combat forces next summer, military leaders from San Diego to Kabul are urging Americans to give the troops enough time to prevail.

Marines are used to long odds, and the fight in Iraq once seemed unwinnable before U.S. forces — including thousands of troops from Camp Pendleton — helped pacify Anbar province, Maj. Gen. Anthony Jackson said Wednesday during a meeting of the San Diego Military Advisory Council.

“We are not there to tame Afghanistan. That is for the Afghan people to do. We are there to ensure that our homeland is not attacked again and that the Afghan people have the opportunity to make choices not based on terror,” Jackson said.

Jackson noted that Alexander the Great, Genghis Khan, the British and the Russians didn’t last long in Afghanistan. Now, again, it appears that time is on the side of the insurgents.

“They have 100 years, the Taliban does — in their mind — to win. We’ve been given a timeline for our combat troops: a year. Don’t believe it,” Jackson said. “I think I can say that fairly, you don’t accomplish those things in a year.”



unhappycamper comment: So what have we been doing the Afghanistan for the last nine years? Playing tiddlywinks?

The American people are being played into a new 100 Years War. The fear card is the only thing they have to keep the occupations going.

The Russian Empire collapsed because of excessive military spending. Is the United States next in line for that dubious title?

[dgibby]

1. The Russian Empire collapsed because of excessive military spending. Is the United States next in li

You know what they say, "Live by the sword, die by the sword".

[KharmaTrain]

2. Yes, We Did Play Tiddlywinks...

During the booosh years...he was hellbent of the oil in Iraq and from 2003-2008 Afghanistan was the war everyone, including boooosh forgot. The opportunity to help allieviate generations of suffering in that country was squandered as the US military became Karzai's private security force and allowed Al Queda and the Taliban regroup across the Pakistan border that re-energized a civil war that we had no right to get into in the first place and now are gonna have a hell of a time getting out of. The time where the U.S. could have had a positive affect has long passed...the longer our troops remain, the more body bags will come home in vain.

[Lasher]

3. Americans are intolerant of long wars.

This is not impatience, it is wisdom.

[TexasObserver]

4. 2001 - "Clean this room or you're not going to Chucky Cheese!"

2010 - "I'm telling you, if you don't clean this room, you're not going to your high school prom!"

If you can't get the job done in 9 years, you can't get it done in 10 years, or 11.

[Jamastiene]

5. FFS! How much more time do they need?

I'd say nine years is PLENTY of time. They should have gotten the shit done, especially considering how much money we have been spending on it. It's called managing your time wisely, dipshit. Learn to do it! Damn!

[madrchsod]

6. worked so well in Vietnam did`t it....

the country is still one of the more repressive countries in the world but....their labor is cheaper than china and the Vietnamese woman can run a sewing machine better than a chinese woman. so the next time you are shopping for clothes look for the Made in Vietnam label!

[Tansy_Gold]

16. sure did n/t

[Xipe Totec]

7. Win what? nt

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

8. We've been at war over there since 1991

I just don't think we should stay there for 100 years. We've been there long enough. Too long. Get out now.

[jody]

9. Every military or civilian “expert” who speaks about Afghanistan acknowledges that ultimately only

its citizens, the largest ethnic group Pashtuns about 40%, can govern the country.

Those experts stress the importance of teaching them military skills, presumably tactics and strategy, so they have an effective force but that prompts one critical question -- What military tactics and strategy are we teaching that will be effective since our experts obviously don’t know because we are currently losing?

IMO we need to withdraw as rapidly as safety will permit and let the local tribal leaders solve their problem, their way.

[hobbit709]

11. I'd say the tactics and strategy the Afghans are using are working pretty well.

you might beat them temporarily but in the long run they have gotten rid of EVERY foreign invader.

[jody]

15. Agree, see cartoons below.

04/-01/09

[hobbit709]

10. Where have we heard this before?

and a note to Gen. Jackson. The culture there thinks in terms of centuries when it comes to feuds and fighting.
They can name their relatives who fought the Brits in the 1800's. They can probably name the relatives that fought the Mongols a 1000 years ago.

[jody]

14. George Norlin said "He who knows only his own generation remains always a child." Looks like our

leaders are mere babies.

[justabob]

12. they've had damn near a decade to get this done

and now they are pleading for more time? Wow.

[Ichingcarpenter]

13. England's first War in Afghanistan -1830s-1842

First War: 1830s-1842
http://history1800s.about.com/od/colonialwars/a/kabul1842.htm


Second War 1878-81
http://history1800s.about.com/od/colonialwars/a/second-anglo-afghan-war.htm


Third War.. 2001-?

The General is talking through his hat.

[hobbit709]

17. England didn't do too well

First Anglo-Afghan War 1839-1842

Second Anglo-Afghan War 1878-1880

Third Anglo-Afghan War May-August 1918.

[jody]

19. One legacy is the Durand line separating Pashtuns in Afghanistan from Pashtuns in Pakistan. Pashtuns

are the worlds largest tribal affiliation, over 40 million.

[Scuba]

18. General Jackson predicts we lose the war.

"They have 100 years, the Taliban does — in their mind — to win. We’ve been given a timeline for our combat troops: a year. Don’t believe it,” Jackson said. “I think I can say that fairly, you don’t accomplish those things in a year.”



Apparently, unless we're willing to let our service men and women die in Afghanistan for the next 100 years, we lose. Remind me why we're there again?

This Marine Corps General had it right:

I believe that if we had and would keep our dirty, bloody, dollar soaked fingers out of the business of these (Third World) nations so full of depressed, exploited people, they will arrive at a solution of their own. And if unfortunately their revolution must be of the violent type because the `haves' refuse to share with the `have-nots' by any peaceful method, at least what they get will be their own, and not the American style, which they don’t want and above all don’t want crammed down their throats by Americans.'


Gen. David Shoup, United States Marine Commandant Medal of Honor recipient.

originally posted by Bigmack

[marylanddem]

20. Murder and mayhem, nothing more nor less...

[malaise]

21. To win what exactly?

End the fucking wars and save education in America

[liberal N proud]

22. TIME?

It's already the longest running war in US history.

How much time do they need?

[City Lights]

23. Sorry, dude, but the clock ran out!

x(

[timtom]

24. Give them time to win...WHAT?

What are we going to win? What's the endgame?

[Scuba]

25. The goal is to keep the war machine profitable.

[G_j]

26. give them time to be maimed or killed

that would be more truthful

[TheKentuckian]

27. SIR!!!!!!!! We're in our longest war and have spent hundreds of billions

on a war against an enemy with few troops, no planes, no ships, no tanks, no fucking anything, and no actual idea of what victory is and no real benefit to anywhere near offset the sacrifice.

Our military brass needs to be rooted out and turned over.

[Ichingcarpenter]

28. Afganistan's GNP is $6.8 billion the War dept. wants $37billion this quarter

in supplementals to fight this bloody stupid war.

We could have bought the place years ago

[unhappycamper]

29. We've already spent $167+ billion dollars on the occupations this year.

Two more quarters is is gonna be over $200 billion dollars. Had enough yet?

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

30. Stuck record? We've been hearing that song for 9 years. K&R