BO's Afghanistan Poilcy

BO is stuck in a corner regarding Afghanistan and this is why it has taken him so long to arrive at a decision. He campaigned on the idea that Iraq was the bad war whereas Afghanistan was the right war, the war of necessity. I don’t think he actually believed that but took that position to be the non-Bush. Instead of campaigning on his true beliefs he said whatever it took to be elected even in the case of war.

Now he actually has to be the commander in chief of a war that he likely does not believe in but is forced to fight. Everything points to the fact that he is a pacifist and likely believes there is never a case for war. He believes in talking as the sole instrument in resolving issues as we can see in his comments and actions in regards to other conflicts.He also has to please the far left, to which he is indebted, who is anti-war.

Afghanistan is very different than Iraq and what worked in Iraq will likely not work in Afghanistan. Perhaps a more limited force would be better with greater emphasis on intelligence and surgical strikes. The idea of adding additional troops there as sitting ducks waiting for the Afghan army and government to evolve is a mistake. I fear major troop losses. We need leaders who can think outside the box. A surge won’t work everyplace just because it worked in one place.

BO is incapable of fighting this war that he is not dedicated to and this will be detrimental to the troops in the field. For this reason he should not approve any more troops to be sent over and should plan for withdrawal. This is most likely what he would like to do but he would need to backtrack on his previous words. This would be difficult for him but isn’t that admission better than sending our boys and girls into a war that he does not back 100%. If he feels cornered into making the choice between two bad decisions I hope he selects the side that preserves the troops versus what is politically convenient.