Still In Afghanistan? Why?
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CodeManBob
Jun 29, 2011, 10:22:55 PM6/29/11
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The Unanswered Question in Afghanistan Is, Why?
Wednesday 29 June 2011
by: Jim Hightower, Truthout | Op-Ed
Hamid Karzai, president of Afghanistan, captured during the opening
remarks at the Annual Meeting 2008 of the World Economic Forum in
Davos, Switzerland, January 23, 2008. (Photo: Annette Boutellier /
World Economic Forum)
America's long, long war in Afghanistan has drained more than 1,500
precious lives and a trillion dollars from our country. But, finally,
this enormous outlay paid off this year with the capture and killing
of that al-Qaida demon, Osama bin Laden, who attacked America and was
the reason our military went into Afghanistan.
Oh, wait -- Osama wasn't in Afghanistan, was he? He was comfortably
ensconced in an urban compound in Pakistan, whose leaders are
supposedly our allies in the bloody Afghan War. And it wasn't the war
effort that got bin Laden, it was old-time spy work, culminating in a
raid involving a small team of Navy Seals, a dog and two helicopters.
So why have two presidents and a decade of Congress dumped so many
lives and so much money into a country that poses no threat to us?
Afghanistan is an impoverished, anarchic, largely illiterate land
that's split into ancient tribal factions and innumerable fiefdoms
controlled by rival warlords. They have no desire or ability to attack
us, some 8,000 miles away.
The only reason we're given for being in Afghanistan is that we must
keep the al-Qaida terrorists network from establishing bases there.
But -- like bin Laden -- al-Qaida left this country years ago and now
operates transnationally in Pakistan, Yemen, Uzbekistan and elsewhere,
including England and Germany.
Yet, we're told we must continue to pour American lives, dollars and
reputation into Afghanistan. But ... why? To create a central,
democratically elected government with a 300,000-member army and
police force, we're told. But why? To stabilize the country, they say.
But, why? To keep al-Qaida out, they repeat, closing the endless loop
on a Kafkaesque rational.
Stay informed with free Truthout updates delivered straight to your
email inbox. Click here to sign up.
Yes, President Obama has finally started a slow withdrawal of U.S.
troops, but that'll take at least three years, more than $300 billion
and untold numbers of shattered lives. The questions remains: Why?
At least one person was giddy with excitement upon hearing President
Obama's announcement on June 22 that all of America's combat troops
would depart from Afghanistan by 2014: Hamid Karzai.
"A moment of happiness for Afghanistan," exulted the incurably
corrupt, inept, weak and pompous Afghan president. Our leaders put
this ingrate in power, and both the lives of our soldiers and billions
of our tax dollars have been spent to prop up his sorry excuse for a
government -- yet he's the one saying "good riddance." It puts the
dumb in dumbfounding.
The dumbest and most shameful aspect of America's 10-year Afghan War
is the pretension that Karzai represents an exercise in democracy-
building. Installed in the presidency by dictate of the Bush-Cheney
regime in 2002, he is widely despised and ridiculed by the people and
has clung to power only through flagrant electoral fraud, not only in
his two presidential "elections," but also in last year's
parliamentary contest.
Karzai was PO'd that 62 candidates he favored lost or were
disqualified by the country's independent election commission because
of fraud. So, Hamid haughtily set up his own special court to review
those results, while also bringing criminal charges against several of
the independent election commissioners.
Last week, only one day after Obama's withdrawal announcement,
Karzai's kangaroo court disqualified the 62 parliamentary winners,
replacing them with his chosen ones. Of course, the 62 winners are
refusing to budge from their seats. This has created a governmental
stalemate, but that suits Karzai perfectly, for it allows him the
defacto power to rule without parliament. As a top opposition leader
puts it: "Karzai does not believe in the rule of law; he thinks
democracy doesn't work in his favor."
It's both insane and immoral for our leaders to cause even one more
American to die for Karzai. Tell Obama to bring all of our troops
home, pronto. The White House comment line is (202) 456-1111, or
www.whitehouse.gov/contact.
Wednesday 29 June 2011
by: Jim Hightower, Truthout | Op-Ed
Hamid Karzai, president of Afghanistan, captured during the opening
remarks at the Annual Meeting 2008 of the World Economic Forum in
Davos, Switzerland, January 23, 2008. (Photo: Annette Boutellier /
World Economic Forum)
America's long, long war in Afghanistan has drained more than 1,500
precious lives and a trillion dollars from our country. But, finally,
this enormous outlay paid off this year with the capture and killing
of that al-Qaida demon, Osama bin Laden, who attacked America and was
the reason our military went into Afghanistan.
Oh, wait -- Osama wasn't in Afghanistan, was he? He was comfortably
ensconced in an urban compound in Pakistan, whose leaders are
supposedly our allies in the bloody Afghan War. And it wasn't the war
effort that got bin Laden, it was old-time spy work, culminating in a
raid involving a small team of Navy Seals, a dog and two helicopters.
So why have two presidents and a decade of Congress dumped so many
lives and so much money into a country that poses no threat to us?
Afghanistan is an impoverished, anarchic, largely illiterate land
that's split into ancient tribal factions and innumerable fiefdoms
controlled by rival warlords. They have no desire or ability to attack
us, some 8,000 miles away.
The only reason we're given for being in Afghanistan is that we must
keep the al-Qaida terrorists network from establishing bases there.
But -- like bin Laden -- al-Qaida left this country years ago and now
operates transnationally in Pakistan, Yemen, Uzbekistan and elsewhere,
including England and Germany.
Yet, we're told we must continue to pour American lives, dollars and
reputation into Afghanistan. But ... why? To create a central,
democratically elected government with a 300,000-member army and
police force, we're told. But why? To stabilize the country, they say.
But, why? To keep al-Qaida out, they repeat, closing the endless loop
on a Kafkaesque rational.
Stay informed with free Truthout updates delivered straight to your
email inbox. Click here to sign up.
Yes, President Obama has finally started a slow withdrawal of U.S.
troops, but that'll take at least three years, more than $300 billion
and untold numbers of shattered lives. The questions remains: Why?
At least one person was giddy with excitement upon hearing President
Obama's announcement on June 22 that all of America's combat troops
would depart from Afghanistan by 2014: Hamid Karzai.
"A moment of happiness for Afghanistan," exulted the incurably
corrupt, inept, weak and pompous Afghan president. Our leaders put
this ingrate in power, and both the lives of our soldiers and billions
of our tax dollars have been spent to prop up his sorry excuse for a
government -- yet he's the one saying "good riddance." It puts the
dumb in dumbfounding.
The dumbest and most shameful aspect of America's 10-year Afghan War
is the pretension that Karzai represents an exercise in democracy-
building. Installed in the presidency by dictate of the Bush-Cheney
regime in 2002, he is widely despised and ridiculed by the people and
has clung to power only through flagrant electoral fraud, not only in
his two presidential "elections," but also in last year's
parliamentary contest.
Karzai was PO'd that 62 candidates he favored lost or were
disqualified by the country's independent election commission because
of fraud. So, Hamid haughtily set up his own special court to review
those results, while also bringing criminal charges against several of
the independent election commissioners.
Last week, only one day after Obama's withdrawal announcement,
Karzai's kangaroo court disqualified the 62 parliamentary winners,
replacing them with his chosen ones. Of course, the 62 winners are
refusing to budge from their seats. This has created a governmental
stalemate, but that suits Karzai perfectly, for it allows him the
defacto power to rule without parliament. As a top opposition leader
puts it: "Karzai does not believe in the rule of law; he thinks
democracy doesn't work in his favor."
It's both insane and immoral for our leaders to cause even one more
American to die for Karzai. Tell Obama to bring all of our troops
home, pronto. The White House comment line is (202) 456-1111, or
www.whitehouse.gov/contact.
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