At this point, the US seems preoccupied by bread and circuses at home and resigned to war without end abroad, so long as these are “little wars” in forgotten corners of the world. Unfortunately real people die daily in these “little wars”. It is hard to believe that there will never be a reckoning for all those dead.
I guess Drumpf will fix Afghanistan as soon as his guaranteed ninety day plan to beat ISIS kicks in.
Forever and ever and ever…no one can say why of for who…
What a quagmire of a quagmire Afghanistan still is. With large heaping, not helping bottle of Russian dressing.
I wonder if going after the drug facilities will do anything? How did that work out in South America?
The 36 percent that is under Taliban control is it growing or shrinking?
When will Deferment Don visit our troops in Afghanistan to show how much he cares?
Maybe he could have a parade.
If you ask a plumber what’s wrong with your house he’ll tell you that new plumbing is what you need. If you ask a General what is needed he’ll tell you war. There are 3 options in a war. Win it, lose it or fight it forever.
If only Jared still had his security clearance, he could single-handedly win in Afghanistan…without even wrinkling his suit.
OT, though about the photo that goes with the story: I watched Lincoln last night. And seeing the Army’s latest dress uniform (or whatever the proper term is for the kit the general has on) through that lens is pretty jarring. It’s as if some designer somewhere said, “you know what? As America drifts toward a second civil war, let’s foreshadow that in the country’s uniforms.”
What was wrong with olive drab and pinning your brass on your eppaulettes?
He can announce it well in advance too to show off how well everything is going, not do one of these cowardly “unannounced visits” like US officials always have.
Last November, the U.S. commander in Kabul, Gen. John Nicholson, said the Afghan army, with U.S. support, had “turned the corner” and captured momentum against the Taliban.
So you would say “there is light at the end of the tunnel”?
Trump is getting sucked in. Not what he promised. But what Putin was hoping he could direct the US toward.
Well, doubtless ‘peace with honor’ will be coupled to that light.
Once we’ve secured that rhetoric, we can start recycling cartoons from the late 1960s and early 1970s (somehow, the political climate is just demanding a replay.)
It has been reported that USA is shifting assets to Afghanistan, but yes, not reported in mainstream US media outlets. e.g.,
https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/news/2018/02/mil-180208-rferl02.htm
What is still crazytown is the number of monthly battle deaths (1-3K, although on a recent decline) ongoing in Afghanistan. Again only lightly reported in major US media.
Oh, I have a parade I’d like to throw for him, yes I do.
Kudos to TPM for bringing Afghanistan to our attention again. The trump circus has squatter rights over at the NY Times and as for WaPo, well Washington is its beat. Congress is not up to the job in Afghanistan, so the press should be stepping in to do the job for them, but it’s left to quality news outlets to keep us informed.
“turned the corner”
There should be a standing order for officers to never use that expression.
“done nothing to deal with civil and political stability.”
Well, no surprise there. Insofar as the civil and political spheres of the conflict need decision making at the level of the POTUS, it’s hard to imagine that donnie would be capable of sitting still long enough to hear - much less learn - about them.
To people with a brain who have paid attention over the last 17 years and given the barest thought to the “war on terror”, these aspects are an obvious and important nuance. But for the stable genius, it’s all about using his toys and to blow shit up.
Two things struck me in this piece: The irony of Putin engaging in low-cost, high-payoff tactic of “Let’s you and him fight.” in fucking Afghanistan…must be almost too much for him as Uncle Sam’s red-white-and-blue ass disappears into the maw of the empire-destroyer.
And secondly: What the hell has gotten into Dan Coats?
“We assess the overall security picture will … modestly deteriorate in the coming year and Kabul will continue to bear the brunt of the Taliban-led insurgency,” Coats said. Afghan forces, while “unsteady,” probably will maintain control of most major population centers in 2018, he added.
These are the remarks of a moderately rational person in his position. If “The Boss” gets wind of this loser attitude, Coats will be out on his ear in a flash.