General Petraeus Is Messing With the Wrong People

[White Eagle]

I got this in an email from bravenewfoundation.org . It stems from Bob Woodward's book "Obama's War". If you want the Afghanistan war to go on for 10 years or more, then you are on the General's side. I want the war to end as we cannot afford it, for one thing. I don't know what the Generals get out of wars, but it is not for me. As a Vietnam Vet, I've seen enough of wars. This one is already longer than Nam. Pass this on. Obama is still talking of ending it in 2011.

http://www.facebook.com/rethinkafghanistan?akid=1261.1055177.h_IKui&rd=1&t=3&v=app_10442206389

General Petraeus Is Messing With the Wrong People

Please share this video with your friends. It's critical we fight back against the military's campaign to extend the Afghanistan War.

Bob Woodward’s new book, “Obama’s War,” comes out tomorrow, and leaked excerpts show just how hard some military leaders are fighting to stop a withdrawal from Afghanistan. Late last year, as President Obama struggled to pin the military down into an airtight exit strategy, General Petraeus said:

“[The administration] is ****ing with the wrong guy.”

It’s clear Petraeus and his subordinates want to ignore the July 2011 deadline to start withdrawing troops. A colonel briefing reporters at the Pentagon this week even told them that, “No one said that we were withdrawing in July 2011.”

Military officials need to understand that it’s not up to them when we leave Afghanistan. Ultimately, that’s up to us, the American people, and we’re sick and tired of this war that’s not making us safer and that’s not worth the cost. General Petraeus is the one messing with the wrong people--the 57 percent of Americans who oppose the war.

The publicity around Woodward’s book gives us a new opportunity to get people’s attention about how the military is undermining the Commander-in-Chief and working to extend the war. Our new video exposes their effort, but we need your help to get it in front of people.

Send our latest video to as many people as you can, and share it on your Facebook wall. With your help, we can keep the warmongers on the defensive and end this war.

 

[justapixel]

Obama chose him.

Vote Republican if you do not like what the Democrats are doing.

 

[cityboy-stl]

^ Republicans will end the war? I don't think so.

 

[White Eagle]

The republicans have been war hawks for as long as I can remember and I doubt I would ever vote Repbulican. No wait. I voted for my brother once for Sheriff. He's a repug.I can't help him.
Oh, and a lot of good it did him, he lost! haha

 

[Kulindahr]

According to some recent articles in the area newspaper here, the people of Afghanistan themselves believe that the moment the U.S. leaves, the Taliban will take control, and reimpose sharia law. Many believe that everyone who has taken to departing from the sexist, theocratic ways spouted by the Taliban will be dealt with harshly; others are certain that anyone who has helped try to turn the country on a more civilized path will be shot.

The military has legitimate concerns. The problem is that thanks to a dimwit puppet from Texas and his now Borg-like handler, they're in a situation where they need twenty times the resources to accomplish things than they should have.

It's a lose-lose situation: staying, with things the way they are, harms America. Leaving, given the inevitable Taliban takeover, will harm America. We could nuke the place and pave it, but that would come back to harm us, too.

Both sides are right, both sides are wrong. That's reality when you get people with half-baked ideas they won't even commit to.

 

[andysayshi]

Just last week an Australian news network exposed extensive vote rigging in Afghanistan's most recent election:

http://www.abc.net.au/lateline/content/2010/s3019394.htm

Entrenched corruption is generational. It will take at least a generation of extensive military and caretaker-government presence to make any real change to Afghanistan's population and political system. 20 years? 30 years?

If we're not in for the long haul, I say lets go home.

 

[Kulindahr]

Just last week an Australian news network exposed extensive vote rigging in Afghanistan's most recent election:

http://www.abc.net.au/lateline/content/2010/s3019394.htm

Entrenched corruption is generational. It will take at least a generation of extensive military and caretaker-government presence to make any real change to Afghanistan's population and political system. 20 years? 30 years?

If we're not in for the long haul, I say lets go home.

The British hung around in India for several centuries, turning a chaotic tribalism not much different than what prevails in Afghanistan into a nation. Of course, they had an incredible trade position and were mostly making a profit at it.

Only empire has the tenacity to do such a thing. We aren't... though many PTBs are working at it. The other thing that can turn such a mess into a nation is a hard-assed no-nonsense central government, such as a strong monarchy -- that's the domestic solution, which worked in much of Europe.

We lack the resources and patience to do it the imperial way. Once we leave, the Taliban will begin implementing the second option.

Lose-lose. We can't afford the first, and we may find out the hard way that we can't afford the second.

 

[bankside]

May I present another option: the ruse withdrawal.

Leave. Let the Taliban organise themselves and take command. Then decapitate the new theocratic government.

It's like turning off the light so the bugs scurry out from all their disgusting little hiding places, all the while standing there with your finger on the light switch and a can of raid.

 

[Kulindahr]

May I present another option: the ruse withdrawal.

Leave. Let the Taliban organise themselves and take command. Then decapitate the new theocratic government.

It's like turning off the light so the bugs scurry out from all their disgusting little hiding places, all the while standing there with your finger on the light switch and a can of raid.

Assuming we could pull it off, I don't know that it would make any difference. The Taliban has clones lined up in their little so-called schools to last a hundred years of such decapitation.

OTOH, we could bury massive caches of arms for people who despise the Taliban, and once the theocrats are in and relaxed, we provide air support and logistics to the people throwing them out.

Nah, it would take centuries before they'd grasp that government derives its authority from the just consent of the governed.

 

[BostonPirate]

It would also imply that the C in C would order the generals to mislead the public.

I tend to think that after that just happened with Bush in the Iraq war, it won't happen again for at least what..... ten minutes? LOL

Ehh

I think if the afghanistan gov't can't keep charge we need to leave.

I don't understand why we ever put boots on the ground in these nations. We have the technology to bomb them into the stone age from the air by submarine and carrier, cruise missiles, and stealth.

IF we need to wage war, we don't need to occupy a nation.

Regime change is fine with me. Bomb them until they get it right.... and by that I mean, giving up terrorism against us and any other nation we are obligated to defend by treaty.

 

[palemale]

I fear the opportunity to have made a real difference in Afghanistan has long since disappeared. Had we not gone into Iraq, and instead focused all the resources and attention we squandered in Iraq on Afghanistan, we may have made a difference. In the absence of building a strong government, strong school system, infrastructure and civil culture, that country is doomed to be a failed country for many years to come.

 

[BostonPirate]

The enemy has moved into Pakistan, where all that flooding has gone on recently. All those wikileaks classified documents point to that.

But if we leave the neighboring area and focus on Pakistan, they will just flow back... it is a fools errand to try to stop them this way anyhow....

I had a muslim friend who told me they were like the mafia and until they were attacked and dealt with like the mafia, the terrorist organisations would never be dismantled.

 

[White Eagle]

If we stay, how long can we afford to put more money into it? I don't think it's worth it. Those people have been killing each other for centuries, do you think they would stop because we say so?

Oh and BostonPirate:

the terrorist organisations would never be dismantled.

Have you moved to Canada?

 

[BostonPirate]

nope still a Boston Bastard...lol

 

[Kulindahr]

I think if the afghanistan gov't can't keep charge we need to leave.

I'm not sure there really is an Afghan government. Labeling a bunch of people that doesn't make it so.

I don't understand why we ever put boots on the ground in these nations. We have the technology to bomb them into the stone age from the air by submarine and carrier, cruise missiles, and stealth.

Sorta like why put police in the South Bronx, when it could just be bombed into submission?

IF we need to wage war, we don't need to occupy a nation.

Regime change is fine with me. Bomb them until they get it right.... and by that I mean, giving up terrorism against us and any other nation we are obligated to defend by treaty.

That was tried in Vietnam. The result was even more people against us.

 

[palemale]

Sorta like why put police in the South Bronx, when it could just be bombed into submission?

Why pick on the South Bronx? It's poor, but most people there aren't harming anyone, just going about their business. Indeed, artists and musicians have been moving in in recent years, restaurants and antique stores have opened. Just another New York stereotype that doesn't have a basis in reality.

 

[BostonPirate]

Why pick on the South Bronx? It's poor, but most people there aren't harming anyone, just going about their business. Indeed, artists and musicians have been moving in in recent years, restaurants and antique stores have opened. Just another New York stereotype that doesn't have a basis in reality.

Indeed.

I am not interested as an american in owning another country. We get the debt and the Bill and they get their freedom when we are done.

We own the bronx and last I checked, there were no suicide bombers blowing up churches there.

 

[Kulindahr]

Why pick on the South Bronx? It's poor, but most people there aren't harming anyone, just going about their business. Indeed, artists and musicians have been moving in in recent years, restaurants and antique stores have opened. Just another New York stereotype that doesn't have a basis in reality.

Very good.

Bombing nations into the stone age in order to get at a few terrorists isn't based in reality, either.

 

[BostonPirate]

Very good.

Bombing nations into the stone age in order to get at a few terrorists isn't based in reality, either.

LOL

Neither is getting rid of social security, half of the government agencies, and most of the ideas you propose, but hey... its not like I would accuse you of being arrogant or anything.

 

[MoltenRock III]

The republicans have been Chickenhawks for as long as I can remember and I doubt I would ever vote Repbulican. No wait. I voted for my brother once for Sheriff. He's a repug.I can't help him.
Oh, and a lot of good it did him, he lost! haha

I fixed your post.