US declares defeat and readies to surrender to Taliban

[dsummoner]

Source:

A proposed new handbook for Americans serving in Afghanistan warns them not to speak ill about the Taliban, advocate women’s rights or criticize pedophilia, and the general in charge is not happy with it. The draft of the newest Army handbook seems to suggest that ignorance of Afghan culture is to blame for deadly attacks by Afghan soldiers against the coalition forces, according to The Wall Street Journal, which got a peek at the 75-page document. But its message of walking on eggshells around the locals is not going over well with U.S. Marine Gen. John Allen, the top military commander in Afghanistan.

But a claim by their own government that they’re to blame is not likely to buoy the spirits of Americans risking their lives to serve. "Many of the confrontations occur because of [coalition] ignorance of, or lack of empathy for, Muslim and/or Afghan cultural norms, resulting in a violent reaction from the [Afghan security force] member," the Journal quotes the draft handbook as saying.The draft handbook offers a list of "taboo conversation topics" that soldiers should avoid, including "making derogatory comments about the Taliban," "advocating women's rights," "any criticism of pedophilia," "directing any criticism toward Afghans," "mentioning homosexuality and homosexual conduct" or "anything related to Islam," according to the Journal.

You don't fight and die for country (or other such similar sophistry along the lines of deluding yourself with symbolism). No, you fight and die for the most venal of humans, politicians and their crony appointees.

You (yes, you) being the cause of Taliban sympathizers shooting you is merely par for the course and only adds to the epic failure that is the stinking liquefied excrement that are the 'rules' of war and the counterinsurgency strategy that results from it.

[SalisburySage]

If we had a real President and not that howdy doody clown in the white house we'd have long ago won the war.

[Contumacious]

If we had a real President and not that howdy doody clown in the white house we'd have long ago won the war.

And you define to "win the war" how?!?!?!?

.

[regularguy]

... and not that howdy doody clown in the white house....

You're referring to George Bush?

[Hexexis]

...You don't fight and die for country (or other such similar sophistry along the lines of deluding yourself with symbolism). No, you fight and die for the most venal of humans, ...

No Am. service personnel have fought & died for their country since WWII: against 2 nations bent on world domination. After that, our guys got away w/ the "Cold War" for so long by labeling the enemy not a geopolitical entity (USSR) but an ideology (communism); then conflating the two (to which USSR, happy for any recognition, agreed).

Right now, Americans content to blame ideologies (liberalism, conservativism; heck, even socialism) rather than to demand the heads of our agents provocateur on platters. Presented w/ the latter option, we go all mushy, turn to God & Jesus, & recreate ourselves in God's image w/ "forgiveness."

A good sign this'll continue for some time is the fervent but misguided public defense of Gen. Petraeus for his interpersonal indiscretions: a career sycophant & proud public architect of "COIN," who's gladly thrown his troops in harm's way in Iraq & Afghanistan for a wink from a think tank wonk.

[banner1124]

If we had a real President and not that howdy doody clown in the white house we'd have long ago won the war.

Excellent analysis deadbeat

[flyboy56]

Our military did fight and die for America in Afghanistan. But once we defeated the Taliban, who supported Al Qaeda during the lead up to 9/11, our military should have left. We could have left a small US footprint behind to help Afghanistan's new government.

[johnpolitics]

Excellent analysis deadbeat

Deatbeat must mean his friend George Bush who let Bin Laden escape Afghanistan.
No one has ever conquered it. Time to declare victory and leave. Their government is as bad as the ones in Vietnam in the 1960's and we know how that turned out. 2014 can't come fast enough and I hope the pull out date is 1/1/14!

[CajunRaven]

If we had a real President and not that howdy doody clown in the white house we'd have long ago won the war.

There is nothing winnable in that cess pool and it was folly to think otherwise.

Bring em home now!

[CajunRaven]

Our military did fight and die for America in Afghanistan. But once we defeated the Taliban, who supported Al Qaeda during the lead up to 9/11, our military should have left. We could have left a small US footprint behind to help Afghanistan's new government.

We also had Bin Laden in our sights there. We should have taken him and the Taliban out and left that hell hole the day that was accomplished.

Armies aren't supposed to be nation builders.

[bmore_ken]

If we had a real President and not that howdy doody clown in the white house we'd have long ago won the war.

Yeah Bush did kind of suck at the whole war thing

[bmore_ken]

We also had Bin Laden in our sights there. We should have taken him and the Taliban out and left that hell hole the day that was accomplished.

Armies aren't supposed to be nation builders.

Funny how Bush said that, but then commenced to doing it anyway

On Oct. 3, 2000, candidate Bush lectured Vice President Gore about his views on nation-building during their first debate.

"The vice president and I have a disagreement about the use of troops," he snorted. "He believes in nation-building. I would be very careful about using our troops as nation-builders."

[johnpolitics]

Yeah Bush did kind of suck at the whole war thing

And Bush's father didn't know when to "pull out". SS is flunking current events history.

[CajunRaven]

Funny how Bush said that, but then commenced to doing it anyway

Once Cheney explained to George how much money their freinds could make, he evolved!

[CajunRaven]

And then the lightbulb went off regarding Iraq!

[Byng]

If we had a real President and not that howdy doody clown in the white house we'd have long ago won the war.

How did it go for almost a decade under Bush and Cheney, Commander? How far back should we be looking to find your "real" President?

[Grindelwald]

And Bush's father didn't know when to "pull out".

um....

[Byng]

Once Cheney explained to George how much money their freinds could make, he evolved!

That was also the reasoning for Afghanistan........Natural Resources. That is why Bush and Cheney spent the best part of a decade building roads rather than hunting down bin Laden. You can't have all of that copper, gold, lithium, iron ore and oil with no infrastructure to transport it on!

[Byng]

Source:



You don't fight and die for country (or other such similar sophistry along the lines of deluding yourself with symbolism). No, you fight and die for the most venal of humans, politicians and their crony appointees.

You (yes, you) being the cause of Taliban sympathizers shooting you is merely par for the course and only adds to the epic failure that is the stinking liquefied excrement that are the 'rules' of war and the counterinsurgency strategy that results from it.

COIN was to make nice with the local War Lords so that the Central Government Bush and Cheney put in place in Kabul would sell the United States all of the rights to the development of Afghanistan's Natural Resources. But while we have been fighting the Taliban for that Central Government they have been selling the development rights out from under us to China and India.

So the United States does the fighting, dying and loss of immense amounts of treasure while Afghanistan builds up its forces so that in 2014 it can better defend itself and of course the Chinese and Indians that walk in with their development rights tucked neatly under their arms. Great plan, America.

[Spot72]

Notice how conservatives will never explain what the objective of staying in Afghanistan is but they will complain about our military concluding the mission in 2014. It's also funny that conservatives never indicate when they would like us to withdraw from Afghanistan