Wednesday, December 02, 2009

How To Lose A War...On a Timetable...

Giving credit where it's due, at least Barrack Hussein Obutthead committed 30,000 of the 40,000 troops that Gen. McChrystal asked for, and then demanded that NATO and Pakistan "do more". That's 30,000 more and one gentle rebuke of our "allies" then I expected, honestly.

It's what was between-the-lines that made me spitting-mad.

General McChrystal now has a timetable for turning Afghanistan into something at least resembling secure (by what means that standard is measured is still undefined), and then he has to come home.

Nothing like telling the enemy when you intend to stop fighting. That's awesome strategy there, Barry.

This war is now irrevocably lost. Obama's heart, despite all his rhetoric, was never in it. It's why he's dithered over requests from his own, hand-picked General. It's why, even when men are being shot at and killed, there has been little talk of victory and a lot of show over the formulation of an 'exit strategy'. The subtle nuances of that speech before the future leaders of the U.S. Army last night was a virtuoso display of what I like to call Noballs-itis.

The excuses that will be used to cover the Administration's behind were trotted out last night. In case you missed them, they are:

* NATO hasn't done 'enough'. (That NATO is incapable of doing anything will conveniently forgotten).

* The Pakistanis haven't done 'enough'. (That Pakistan created the Taliban will be conveniently forgotten).

* We left a 'stable' Afghanistan, and the 'mission accomplished', we left. This will be followed by the paradoxical refrain of "The Afghan government was corrupt, and undermined our efforts." (The fact that the Obama Administration accused Karzai of stealing the election, and called him a crook while standing beside him on his Inauguration Day, will be conveniently forgotten).

* Hey, I sent the troops, but McChrystal still fucked it up. (That McChrystal was Obambi's 'guy', his hand-picked commander, will be conveniently forgotten).

* The strategy was flawed from the beginning, when George Bush started the whole thing. No one could have 'saved' Afghanistan at this late date, no matter how many troops went, since the war in Iraq 'distracted' us from the mission in Afghanistan (That Iraq is largely pacified and it's government is beginning to take over more day-to-day security and military missions, will be conveniently forgotten).

* If you criticize this President, you're a racist. (The race card is always the last resort of a scoundrel).

* It's George Bush's fault. (Didn't you know this already?).

* It's George Bush's fault. (Why do we have to repeat this? You should know by now!).

* Oh, and it's George Bush's fault. (One last time because we like saying it, and the man doesn't defend himself and because no one except Dick Cheney will call us on it.)

Some other details that irked the hell out of me;

The Prezzzident trotting out his best Bill-Clinton-I-Feel-Your-Pain schtick talking about signing letters of condolence, visiting the military hospitals and his once-in-a-lifetime photo-op at Dover AF base, 'honoring' the fallen. How crass. That was thrown in there to silence critics who will claim the man doesn't care about our military.

Well, I'll say it; the man doesn't care about our military.

You can talk all you want about the importance of winning, Barry, but you certainly didn't back that talk up last night. That was schoolyard rhetoric of the kind used by children who want to act tough in front of their friends, but who really are scared to death of an actual fight. You put up the front (the 30,000), but then said the fight has to end before your Momma calls you in for supper...and no punching in the face, okay?

Good luck, General McChrystal. I'm sure things will be nice and quiet for the next 18 months as the Taliban and A'Qeada cause just enough trouble for you to remember them by, biding their time until you leave. I'm sure the Administration during that time will trot out all sorts of charts, PowerPoint presentations and statistics about how 'violence is lower now than in 2008' (just like the last one did in trying to justify it's lack of warfighting), and then everyone comes home.

And six months later, there will be a smoking crater in Chicago. Or Los Angeles. Or Philadelphia.
And all the perpetrators will have worn turbans, trained in Afghanistan, and if any are captured alive they'll be given trials in the Federal Courts, with all the rights and privileges afforded any criminal defendant, and free attorneys.

Barrack Hussein Obutthead will shed some crocodile tears, and then go back to making sure every illegal Mexican in this country has free dental and access to cosmetic butt implants, and how to put a tax on breathing to pay for it, because that's where his heart really is.

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