America, The Witless Policeman

The article, Gates, Karzai offer differing timeframes for withdrawal , will take your breath away if you really think about what is being said.

"KABUL — Afghan President Hamid Karzai and Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates offered potentially conflicting time frames Tuesday for when American forces will be able to leave this war-torn country, with Gates warning that the U.S. commitment is not open-ended and Karzai saying it will be at least five years before Afghanistan can secure itself.

So. What do you think?

In an equally depressing story Top U.S. diplomat, military commander in Afghanistan urge troop plan , we once again learn that our top general and diplomats involved in this Chinese Fire Drill tell us that it all depends on Pakistan and Afghanistan acting at a level of cohesiveness, success and discipline that is virtually impossible. They have never done this before and most uninvolved experts seem to lean toward the idea that this is not possible for either government to pull off.  I tend to agree.

Why are we doing this? Al Qaeda has withdrawn from Afghanistan almost completely. They have about 100 operatives left in the country. Our own intelligence agencies tell us this. Why are we sending troops to fight "The Taliban" who had nothing to do with the attacks on 9/11?

In tonight’s New York Times we learn in a story entitled Violent Protests in Iran Carry Into Second Day that students in Tehran and elsewhere are making life hard for the illegitimate government there. Good. Brutality from the paramilitaries will undoubtedly follow now. This is only the beginning of the unrest in that country. 

This is another reason we need to be very careful about what we decide is possible and what is not possible for us in that part of the world.  So far, our decision making skills have been very low in this regard.  Wouldn’t you say?

In a story on Afghanistan entitled Afghan Says Army Will Need Help Until 2024 we learn more about the differing views of Secretary of Defense Gates and President Karzai on where we are on the Afghan Security Reality Level of Cosmic Wishing and Hopeful Thinking.

This entire exercise in "nation building" is ridiculous.  We need those soldiers and marines home to worry about "national defense" which is completely different from "national security needs." 

Presidents have been using "national security" reasons to send troopers and marines overseas for generations.  It has to stop.  Damned near anything can be seen as a national security issue.  It is not the role of the U.S. Armed Forces to police the world.  For one thing, it is too expensive. They are in place, at taxpayer expense, to provide for the common defense.  Nothing else.

The Constitution says that our armed forces is in place to "provide for the common defence."  It says nothing about the President sending troops overseas on "national security" boondoggles whenever he can wrangle a bunch of administration insiders to twist arms in Congress.

And they do this in order to fund these ridiculous overseas adventures with taxpayer monies that are sorely needed here at home for social and physical infrastructure repair and rehabilitation.

We have damned near 18% unemployment and one out of every nine houses in the USA is standing vacant due to national mortgage collapse.  And we want to be the world’s policeman on a grand scale?

Give me a break.

Get informed and stay informed.  An informed veteran is a comfort to his friends and a danger to his adversaries.

CWO3 Tom Barnes, USCG (Ret.)