The Wrong Word
Jack Linthicum
The Wrong Word
Joe Klein
Over at the Commentary blog, Max Boot notes
(http://www.commentarymagazine.com/blogs/index.php/boot/178391)
that even the gung-ho U.S. special forces seem "a bit worn down and
pessimistic" in recent conversations he's had with them about the
situation in Afghanistan. I've had similar conversations with rank-and-
file members of the U.S. military recently--in part, because they're
not sure that this mission can actually be accomplished (very unusual
for our can-do military), but also because they're exhausted and
overstretched after eight years of combat, in the necessary Afghan
action and the unnecessary war of choice in Iraq.
Boot's prescription is as predictable as it is lame...
He thinks morale would improve markedly if the President uses the word
"victory" in his Afghanistan rollout next week. But "victory" is a
word that was never used by David Petraeus in Iraq--it was only used
by unsophisticated bully-raggers like John McCain--and it is a word
that would be laughable if applied to Afghanistan (just as it remains
fairly implausible when applied to Iraq). Success is a better word
than "victory," less bellicose, more in keeping with the spirit of
counter-insurgency doctrine.
Boot is on firmer ground when he suggests that morale would improve
if Obama hews to the McChrystal recommendation of 40,000 troops, but I
think a much stronger morale booster would be if the President conveys
a firm, reasonable sense of what can actually be accomplished in
Afghanistan (and the region), and why it must be accomplished--no
matter the number of troops he is sending. A plausible sense of
mission needs to be re-established...and it would be a nice morale
booster if he reinforced this message to the troops by (a) finding a
way to deliver it personally in Afghanistan for the holidays and (b)
spending either Thanksgiving or Christmas with his family at either
Fort Hood or Fort Lewis here, with the families of troops either
returning from deployments or rotating downrange.
But there is one further step the President should take. In almost
every conversation I've had with members of the military who have been
deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan, the most powerful morale buster is
the sense that they're in this all alone--that the rest of the country
expresses "support" for the troops but isn't really involved,
individually or emotionally, in the war effort. ("Thank you for your
service" is the punch line for more than a few jokes and sardonic
quips.)
If the President really wants to raise flagging morale, he can get the
rest of us involved in Afghanistan when he makes his speech next
Tuesday. He can name some charities--like Greg Mortenson's project to
build schools or Matt Damon's efforts to provide clean water (in
Africa now, but it could be expanded to Afghanistan and Pakistan)--
that people should be supporting in the war zone. He can ask people to
donate clothing for Afghan children or seeds for Afghan farmers. He
could set up an office--yes, Glenn Beck, a czar--to coordinate this
effort. As I wrote yesterday, I'd favor something even more tangible--
a tax to fund the war effort--but I'm not holding my breath.
It has been a privilege for me to spend time with our military these
past eight years since September 11, 2001. The culture of service and
sacrifice--and the reciprocal provision, by the government, of gold-
plated social services that would thrill any liberal--represents the
best we can be as a society. In fact, the President should
appropriate the old Army slogan and say that it is time for us, as a
nation, to Be All We Can Be...in support of the Afghan war effort and
make some specific suggestions about how that can be done. It'll
produce a morale surge among the troops--and, I suspect, an endorphin-
laden feeling of solidarity among the rest of us as well.
Read more: http://swampland.blogs.time.com/2009/11/24/the-wrong-word/#more-18780#ixzz0XnyELyLm
Ray O'Hara
"Jack Linthicum" <jackli...@earthlink.net> wrote in message
news:b6bd781c-081c-4959...@m20g2000vbp.googlegroups.com...
>
>
> The Wrong Word
>
> Joe Klein
>
>
Afghan horse left the barn.
what can we accomplish? nothing. more than the government is corrupt.
the country is made up of several ethnic groups who don't exactly get along.
all that's left is to get out.
Mark Test
news:hehea6$q47$1...@news.eternal-september.org...
nothing.
A free and democratic Afghanistan can be a reality....btw, how is
our action in Afghanistan impacting your life? I'd say not at all, so
don't you fret.....
Mark
David E. Powell
> "Ray O'Hara" <raymond-oh...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
>
> news:hehea6$q47$1...@news.eternal-september.org...
>
>
>
>
>
> > "Jack Linthicum" <jacklinthi...@earthlink.net> wrote in message
> >news:b6bd781c-081c-4959...@m20g2000vbp.googlegroups.com...
>
> >> The Wrong Word
>
> >> Joe Klein
>
> > when the Chimpenfuhrer and his minions decided to concentrate on Iraq the
> > Afghan horse left the barn.
>
> > what can we accomplish? nothing. more than the government is corrupt.
> > the country is made up of several ethnic groups who don't exactly get
> > along.
> > all that's left is to get out.
>
> you're right ray....let's just give up.....those that died, died for
> nothing.
>
> A free and democratic Afghanistan can be a reality....btw, how is
> our action in Afghanistan impacting your life? I'd say not at all, so
> don't you fret.....
>
> Mark
Word up. Remember a couple years ago when people said Iraq would
probably go to Al Quaeda and the cause of the government there was
doomed.
It is a reality, and it can be achieved on the ground, it is only a
question of will to do so, and with additional numbers available as
more Iraqi forces ramp up and free up allied forces it shouldn't be a
question. Heck even Obama said it was doable when he ran for
President.
Ray O'Hara
"Mark Test" <mgt...@gtek.biz> wrote in message
news:dE_Pm.79220$Wf2....@newsfe23.iad...
yes, lets throw good money after bad.
can't have those who died did so in vain, so lets get thousands more killed.
after all. its just a matter of true belief and sincerity,. those two values
won WWII for the Germans after all.
Ray O'Hara
"David E. Powell" <David_Po...@msn.com> wrote in message
news:a6fb1c3a-3d7d-45f0...@m11g2000vbo.googlegroups.com...
==================================================================================
reality is bombs are going off in Iraq and nothing is settled there at all.
Dan
> "Ray O'Hara" <raymon...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
> news:hehea6$q47$1...@news.eternal-september.org...
>> "Jack Linthicum" <jackli...@earthlink.net> wrote in message
>> news:b6bd781c-081c-4959...@m20g2000vbp.googlegroups.com...
>>>
>>> The Wrong Word
>>>
>>> Joe Klein
>>>
>>>
>> when the Chimpenfuhrer and his minions decided to concentrate on Iraq the
>> Afghan horse left the barn.
>>
>> what can we accomplish? nothing. more than the government is corrupt.
>> the country is made up of several ethnic groups who don't exactly get
>> along.
>> all that's left is to get out.
>>
>>
> you're right ray....let's just give up.....those that died, died for
> nothing.
And you want MORE people to die for nothing?
> A free and democratic Afghanistan can be a reality....btw, how is
> our action in Afghanistan impacting your life? I'd say not at all, so
> don't you fret.....
It is affecting my pocketbook quite significantly.
Dan
Ray O'Hara
"Fred J. McCall" <fjmc...@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1dn5h59h3g11306l6...@4ax.com...
> "Ray O'Hara" <raymon...@hotmail.com> wrote:
>
> :
> : when the Chimpenfuhrer and his minions decided to concentrate on Iraq
> :Afghan horse left the barn.
>
> He's gone, RayRay. Give it up.
>
> :
> :what can we accomplish? nothing. more than the government is corrupt.
> :the country is made up of several ethnic groups who don't exactly get
> along.
> :all that's left is to get out.
>
> Well, if you can't accomplish anything now, you certainly couldn't
> accomplish anything then.
>
> Of course, don't let the fact that you're absolutely ignorant about
> such thing slow you down from prescribing policy...
>
the time to put a fire out is when its just starting, not when the house is
fully engulfed.
lots could have been domne then, but your hero the Chimperor chose not to do
it.
there was more money to be made with OBL alive than if he was dead.
the entire Iraq scam would have been impossible to connect to him and 9/11
if he had been caught.
Ray O'Hara
> "Ray O'Hara" <raymon...@hotmail.com> wrote:
>
> :
> : yes, lets throw good money after bad.
> :can't have those who died did so in vain, so lets get thousands more
> killed.
>
> And so RayRay once again shows just what an ignorant moron he really
> is.
>
> Hint for RayRay: Total US deaths in Afghanistan since the very
> beginning is well under a thousand.
>
> :
> :after all. its just a matter of true belief and sincerity,. those two
> :won WWII for the Germans after all.
>
> Give us some rational explanation for just why it is that Afghanistan
> is such an exception, RayRay.
>
> Further Hint for RayRay: Given your attitude on the ALLIED side and
> the Germans and Japanese would have won because we'd have surrendered
> right after Pearl Harbor, recognizing from that high death toll that
> we could never win.
>
> Final Hint for RayRay: You're a fuckwit, son...
>
you are a clueless git Fred. you'd have been with Hitler in the
Fuhrerbunker moving imaginary divisions on maps and wondering why you
weren't winning.
The object was to get OBL and crush Al Qaeda. now we are involved in nation
building and fighting the Taliban
OBL and Al Qaeda have moved on.
We were on the verge of winning when your hero the chimpler lost focus{with
your apparent approval}
Frogwatch
> "Ray O'Hara" <raymond-oh...@hotmail.com> wrote:
>
> :
> :"Fred J. McCall" <fjmcc...@gmail.com> wrote in message
> :news:1qc6h5h9234ipdtdb...@4ax.com...
>
> Lack of content noted.
>
> Failure to address the question noted.
>
> RayRay the Railing Fuckwit noted.
>
> --
> "Ordinarily he is insane. But he has lucid moments when he is
> only stupid."
> -- Heinrich Heine
BDS is a chronic condition and is obviously untreatable. Attacks of
BDS are mostly brought on by exposure to reality. The only known
treatment is exposure to a plethora of Paul Krugman columns or old
copies of the NYT.
Richard
That last sentence would be ruled as unconstitutional on the grounds
of cruel and unusual punishment. Krugman should have lived in the
USSR with the rest of the Central Committee.
Ray O'Hara
"Frogwatch" <ohar...@mindspring.com> wrote in message
news:f8271771-1316-4f71...@g31g2000vbr.googlegroups.com...
===========================================================================
so Bush calling off the pursuit of OBL and the war against Al Qaeda is my
fault? lol
yeah nothing is ever the chimps fault.
you're like his ex-press secratary on TV last week saying how there were NO
terrorist attacks on America under Bush{9/11 anybody?}
you can toss all the lies you want. Bush fucked up everything. its not
derangement to notice, but it is to try to ignore it.
and how come you stopped giving us the daily updates on the stock market? is
it because its been stabilized and has recovered from the nose dive the
chimpler put it in?
Ray O'Hara
> :news:1dn5h59h3g11306l6...@4ax.com...
> :> "Ray O'Hara" <raymon...@hotmail.com> wrote:
> :>
> :> :
> :> : when the Chimpenfuhrer and his minions decided to concentrate on Iraq
> :> the
> :> :Afghan horse left the barn.
> :> :
> :>
> :> He's gone, RayRay. Give it up.
> :>
> :> :
> :> :what can we accomplish? nothing. more than the government is corrupt.
> :> :the country is made up of several ethnic groups who don't exactly get
> :> along.
> :> :all that's left is to get out.
> :> :
> :>
> :> Well, if you can't accomplish anything now, you certainly couldn't
> :> accomplish anything then.
> :>
> :> Of course, don't let the fact that you're absolutely ignorant about
> :> such thing slow you down from prescribing policy...
> :>
> :
> : the time to put a fire out is when its just starting, not when the house
> is
> :fully engulfed.
> :lots could have been domne then, but your hero the Chimperor chose not to
> do
> :it.
>
> Lack of anything other than usual RayRay Railing noted.
>
> :
> :there was more money to be made with OBL alive than if he was dead.
> :the entire Iraq scam would have been impossible to connect to him and
> 9/11
> :if he had been caught.
>
> You really are actively deranged, aren't you?
>
>
you are what Lenin refered to as a useful idiot.
someone the dear leader can count on for support no matter how badly he rips
you off.
Frogwatch
> "Fred J. McCall" <fjmcc...@gmail.com> wrote in messagenews:7g37h5huug3ostato...@4ax.com...> > :"Fred J. McCall" <fjmcc...@gmail.com> wrote in message
> > :news:1dn5h59h3g11306l6...@4ax.com...
Ray: Calm down and wipe the spittle off the screen. OBAMA is
president now. He is the decider. If he decides wrong, it is his
fault. Obama could end the war in Iraq immediately if he wanted but
you notice he has not done so. So far, the market is still down and
unemployment is waaaaaaay up.
Jack Linthicum
Oh, where was the Dow when he took office? Where is it now?
7949 and 10,293 as of 1:41 EST
Frogwatch
I suspect tthat Bush was successful in Iraq and Afghanistan because he
is competent. Obama is failing in Afghanistan because he is
incompetent. So far, Obama has failed at most actual things he has
tried to do except running for office.