Bush says Afghanistan a success

[NewYorkerfromMass]

"President George Bush lauded Afghanistan on Tuesday as a model for Iraq as he tried to paint the US involvement there as a success ahead of the November US election.

With Afghan President Hamid Karzai at his side, Bush listed strides in children's health care, women's rights and education as signs Afghanistan has been lifted up "from the ashes of two decades of war and oppression." ....
....
Bush, seen as vulnerable on Iraq in the run-up to the November 2 US presidential election in which foreign policy could be a decisive issue, is eager to paint Afghanistan as a success despite escalating violence there...."

http://tvnz.co.nz/view/news_world_story_skin/430993%3fformat=html

This sorts of blows my mind but I suppose he's gotta reach and stretch for some positive spin...

[redowl]

1. * is a moron...a clueless one at that

more poppy fields planted, DU all over the land, how many killed and maimed, women are NOT better off. what other lies has he tried to spin?

If this is a success, I would hate to see failure...oh wait - just look at Iraq!

[izzie]

12. Between the poppy's row on row. He must be nuts.

Bush states and thinks it mean it is true. What is wrong with that man?

[corriger]

13. Poppy production is going great for sure those pesky Taliban

[pinniped]

2. Escalating violence equates to success.

I see stupid * applied his Iraq equation to Afghanistan.

:party:

[killbotfactory]

3. It's a success for the heroin trade

at least...

[central scrutinizer]

20. the women are doing real well, too

<>

[gatlingforme]

46. What women? They must be working at the office too much ....

climbing up the ladder of success, and with such an open culture that Bush has perpetuated there, I am sure the women are doing real well. (i am being sarcastic.)

[Malva Zebrina]

4. He is full of

shit.


What really bothers me is that NO ONE calls him on it.NO ONE

Apparently we have powerful people, including the media, and including our opposition candidate, who are willing to let him get away with this

I did not raise my children like this and I do not expect this from my respresentatives. Or maybe, by now, I do expect this from my representatives. And that is depressing and sad.

All seem to be willing to accept any kind of shit as long as they can grab the power.

[NewYorkerfromMass]

14. Whadya mean? It's right there in print:

"Bush... is eager to paint Afghanistan as a success"

[LittleApple81]

5. BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! n/t

[snooper2]

6. Now that's funny...

I liked the part of the press conference where Karzai was asked about the war-lords. Karzai "we don't call them war-lords. Many of them are resistance fighters."

LOL

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

43. Pug Strategy 101: Nomenclature will save us all!

It works for everything from wars to vegetables.

[Emboldened Chimp]

7. Does anybody believe a word this guy says?

[TrogL]

8. What universe is he living in?

Nobody is happy with what happened in Afghanistan.

• As an oil war it was a complete fizzle. The wells turned up dry. There's no point in running the pipeline (which is what this was all about in the first place) because they're nothing to pump.
  
• The Taliban are still there and still in business.
  
• Human rights abuses continue
  

[lumpy]

25. I understood that Afghanistan was

intended to be a thoughfare/route for pipelines from the other Stans'.

[amber dog democrat]

9. How would he know?

Can "Mission Accomplished" be very far behind?
Every thing he touches turns to trash.

[Maeve]

15. The King of Kabul told him so!

Nevermind the violence....have a poppy!

[saigon68]

36. LOL the King a/k/a MAYOR OF KABUL

He's a fine chap ------he has 200 Blackwater Mercenaries protecting his sorry ass.

[HuckleB]

10. No need to look behind the curtain!

"We don' need no STEEEENKINGK PROOF! If I say it's a success, then it's a success! SUCCESS! Heil, ME!"

What a dumbass punk. How does anyone not stand up and ask for his resignation? How can anyone possibly believe this man is capable of doing this job?

[Emboldened Chimp]

11. If it's such a smashing success

why doesn't he go over and see it for himself, hmm?

[Disturbed]

16. Mission Accomplished Pt 2

W's opium supply is steady. Everything is cloud 9.

[Rex]

17. Bush views the return of the opium fields as a success!

nt

[Solly Mack]

18. that one hurt my brain

my brain, assaulted daily by the ignorance of Bush, actually recoiled in pain while reading this..

Exposure to Bush harms brain cells.

[daa]

19. WTF No elections there either nt

[myrna minx]

52. Elections were to be held in June. Now they

have been pushed back to September. When asked by Russert if the elections would go ahead as planned, Karzi seemed unsure. THAT's democracy! :eyes:

[Mountainman]

21. Don't pay any attention to that war behind the curtain.

[lumpy]

22. Watched Karzai give his speech

to Congress. He started out on a pretty good note emphasizing more rights for Afghan women; kids are going to school; hopefull for democracy, thanks and all that. But as his speech progressed he made clear that all is not right in Afghanistan and essentially needs much help from the 'liberators'. Infrastructure/industry needs much repair. Poppies are a problem. No way is Afghanistan able to say they are stabilized or has gained success. He is walking a tightrope( Karzai, that is).

[Merrick]

23. I shit my pants today... I mean, I successfully shit my pants today

[jobycom]

24. Afghanistan remind anyone else of the Night of the Living Dead?

We are holed up in a house (kabul), surrounded by enemies, unable to escape, unable to defeat them all, waiting until they swarm the place and wipe us out. That's victory? No wonder Bush can't win anything, he doesn't know what winning is! (Rangers fans will agree).

[54anickel]

26. Well, when you're a miserable failure complete Cluster-fluffs look good

[Malva Zebrina]

27. Excuse me for asking but why are we preaching to the choir here

amongst ourselves when we do NOT HAVE A DEMOCRAT WHO IS WILLING TO STEP UP TO THE PLATE AND DEFEND US?

andthat includes our Democratic candidate.

I am sick of this.

I want someone who will step up to the plate and defend me, and my children and my grandchildren from this insane fascist who continues to spout lies to the people who do not have the time to investigate further and who believe thos lies spouted by the entire, filthy Bush regime

Why am I put into this position of feeling helpless, in begging our candidate to stand up for me?

This is totally unacceptable to me

I am not willing to trust Kerry. HE has NOT shown me he is on my side.

I am sick of seeing a madman spoutinf off in the bully pulpit with NO ONE at all challenging the idiot.

Kerry should be doing it.

HE HAS ABANDONED ME.

[NewYorkerfromMass]

28. O.K. then trust Bush

:crazy:

[Pastiche423]

39. Trust neither

[Malva Zebrina]

41. false dilemma

"Fallacy Name:
False Dilemma

Alternative Names:
Excluded Middle

Category:
Fallacies of Presumption > Suppressed Evidence



Explanation:
The False Dilemma fallacy occurs when an argument offers a false range of choices and requires that you pick one of them. The range is false because there may be other, unstated choices which would only serve to undermine the original argument. If you concede to pick one of those choices, you accept the premise that those choices are indeed the only ones possible. Usually, only two choices are presented, thus the term "False Dilemma"; however, sometimes there are three (trilemma) or more choices offered.

This is sometimes referred to as the "Fallacy of the Excluded Middle" because it can occur as a misapplication of the Law of the Excluded Middle. This "law of logic" stipulates that with any proposition, it must be either true or false; a "middle" option is "excluded". When there are two propositions, and you can demonstrate that either one or the other must logically be true, then it is possible to argue that the falsehood of one logically entails the truth of the other.

That, however, is a tough standard to meet - it can be very difficult to demonstrate that among a given range of statements (whether two or more), one of them absolutely has to be correct. It certainly isn't something which can simply be taken for granted, but this is precisely what the False Dilemma Fallacy tends to do. "

http://atheism.about.com/library/FAQs/skepticism/blfaq_fall_falsedilemma.htm

[struggle4progress]

29. Afghanistan: Amnesty International condemms killings of aid workers

4 June 2004

"Unless a secure and stable environment is created, the reconstruction of Afghanistan will be completely undermined" said Amnesty International in its condemnation of the recent killings of five MSF staff.

Over the past six months reports indicate that at least 18 aid workers, five of whom were foreign nationals and 13 Afghans, have been killed while trying to carry out their humanitarian and reconstruction efforts. These attacks are no longer isolated to specific regions but have occurred in all parts of the country and target both foreign and Afghan aid workers indicating a growing environment of instability for all people in the country.

http://web.amnesty.org/library/Index/ENGASA110092004?open&of=ENG-AFG

[laylah]

30. Please...PLEASE

forgive me but...F*CK THAT MORONIC A$$HOLE! :puke:

Jenn

[struggle4progress]

31. US: Systemic Abuse of Afghan Prisoners

May 13, 2004

Mistreatment of prisoners by U.S. military and intelligence personnel in Afghanistan is a systemic problem and not limited to a few isolated cases, Human Rights Watch said today.

Human Rights Watch called on the United States to immediately release the results of past investigations into misconduct by U.S. personnel in Afghanistan, including information about two Afghan detainees who were killed in U.S. custody in December 2002 and another detainee who died in June 2003.

"Afghans have been telling us for well over a year about mistreatment in U.S. custody," said John Sifton, Afghanistan researcher for Human Rights Watch. "We warned U.S. officials repeatedly about these problems in 2003 and 2004. It's time now for the United States to publicize the results of its investigations of abuse, fully prosecute those responsible, and provide access to independent monitors."

In a March report, "Enduring Freedom": Abuses by U.S. Forces in Afghanistan, Human Rights Watch documented numerous cases of mistreatment of detainees at various detention sites in Afghanistan, including extreme sleep deprivation, exposure to freezing temperatures, and severe beatings. Detainees complained about being stripped of their clothing and photographed while naked. Some of these abusive practices during interrogation were similar to those recently reported in Iraq. Recent media reports have also documented new cases of mistreatment in Afghanistan.
<snip>
http://hrw.org/english/docs/2004/05/13/afghan8577.htm

[reprobate]

32. Really, he's right. And here's why.

Most of what he said here is true. Although you'd have to leave out the women's rights.

Most of the rest is true. For most of Kabul. From what I've read here, the rest of afghanistan is back in the hands of the taliban and the warlords. And you know how much in favor of women's rights they are.

From all indications, except for most of Kabul, we have made little or no progress in afghanistan. We might have if * hadn't pulled our troops out of there to send them to the meatgrinder that is Iraq.

[NewYorkerfromMass]

42. Karzai is known as the mayor of Kabul

which is about the extent of his influence.

[struggle4progress]

33. Poverty, Women's Rights and Civil Disruption Worse then Ever

<snip>
As of July 2002 the life expectancy for the people of Afghanistan is forty-six years. The average yearly income per capita is $280. As for the children, 90 percent are not in school. After 23 years of war, the adult male population has been decimated, many children have taken the place of their fathers and mothers as the breadwinners in their families. Some scavenge for scrap metal, wood, or bricks, while others hammer sheet metal, fill potholes, or build coffins. They are lucky to earn five cents an hour. More than one out of every four children in Afghanistan will die before their fifth birthday. The growth of more than half these children is moderately or severely stunted from malnutrition. A UNICEF study has found that the majority of children are highly traumatized and expect to die before reaching adulthood. Beyond this, the region is just overcoming a three-year drought, which killed half the crops and 80 percent of livestock in some areas.
<snip>
News about Afghanistan seemed to drop off the mainstream radar following the U.S. invasion. For a while we heard about the new post-'war' Afghanistan: radios being turned on for the first time in years, women going to school, men shaving beards, and the onset of the Karzai era. But what we didn't hear about in the mainstream press forms the bulk of Afghanistan's grim and continuing post-'war' history. To help negotiate some of the blind spots, excellent resources include the Human Rights Watch (HRW) reports cited in the article:

"Afghanistan's Bonn Agreement One Year On"
http://www.hrw.org/backgrounder/asia/afghanistan/bonn1yr-bck.htm
"All Our Hopes Have Been Crushed,"
http://www.hrw.org/reports/2002/afghan3/
Also, Human Rights Watch's Key Documents on Afghanistan has a number of other reports and alerts on the subject:
http://www.hrw.org/campaigns/afghanistan/
ZNet's Afghanistan Watch section:
http://www.zmag.org/terrorwar/znet_afghanistan.htm
"Unworthy Victims":
http://www.globalexchange.org/september11/apogreport.pdf
Robert Fisk reports from Afghanistan http:
//www.robert-fisk.com/index_fisk_articles.htm
RAWA (The Revolutionary Association of Women in Afghanistan):
http://rawa.fancymarketing.net/recent2.htm
Project on Defense Alternatives: http://www.comw.org/warreport/index.html
http://www.comw.org/pda/index.html)
<snip>
(from Project Censored #9 2004
http://www.projectcensored.org/publications/2004/9.html )

[nolabels]

56. Thanks for the links :-)

So many lies from bushco, so little truth from any of them lying sack of SH*T.

If it were not so stupid and SICK, this lie might of been Humorous :nopity:

[0007]

34. Wow! I wonder who else feel like a winner in Afghanistan

Perhaps junior is alluding prematurely about getting bin Laden?

[struggle4progress]

35. Violence threatens Afghan election

3.5 million of estimated 24 million Afghans are registered to vote

June 14, 2004

<snip>
Officials at impromptu registration sites are scrambling to sign up millions of Afghans for a September vote supposed to cement an era of peace after the disasters of Soviet occupation, civil war and Taliban rule.
<snip>

But there is growing concern that border lands where Taliban still roam will be left out - and that intolerant warlords will tighten their grip on power in a country U.S. officials champion as a model of moderate Islamic democracy.
<snip>

The result is that only 13 percent of the Afghans registered so far are from the nine provinces of the south and southeast, according to U.N. statistics. Traditional reluctance to let women out of the house - let alone dabble in politics - means female registration also lags.
<snip>

The U.N. has declined to state clearly at what point free and fair elections would become impossible. Neither the government nor the international community has said openly that they foresee another delay in the vote, which was originally scheduled for June, but that is still a distinct possibility.
<snip>

http://www.pjstar.com/news/topnews/b3a34qkk035.html

[Tight_rope]

37. Dubya is definitely hitting the crack pipe!

I know a crackhead when I see one and hear one. They are very delusional.

"Long-term crack cocaine effects can be much more severe than the short-term effects. These effects include restlessness, mood change, irritability, auditory hallucinations, extreme paranoia, and addiction":crazy:

[Berserker]

38. This reminds me of the OJ Simpson trial.

All you have to say is I did not do it!!! Even if the Chimp shit his pants all he would have to say is he did not do it! And nothing would be said. It goes on and on with him. Even if he fails he says it was a success and the media goes along with it no matter what. I am so sick of No one standing up to this shit. What if Clinton had done half the things the Supreme Leader has done he would have been out of office a long time ago yet nothing is done! GRRRRRRR

[lumpy]

59. I'm surprised the little worm

hasn't pulled a Ronnie and said " I ought to know, I've been there".

[leesa]

40. Yup. He's got the pipeline for Ken Lay and the government opium

trade is flowing smoothly and profitably.

[Maeve]

44. Check out the CNN Quick Vote--has the war on terror in Afghan. been won

http://www.cnn.com/

86% NO!

[NewYorkerfromMass]

45. Bush is Toast

Even by the most conservative interpretation of that poll number, clearly Afghanistan is a PERCEIVED failure.

[Mithras61]

53. As of 9:20 a.m. on 6/16

Has the war against terrorism in Afghanistan been won?

Yes: 14% 16214 votes

No: 86% 101351 votes

Total: 117565 vote

Looks pretty conclusive to me. I wonder how much longer CNN will allow this to stay up, since it undermines Chimpco's claim that we've won...

[gatlingforme]

47. The Opium trade is flourishing in Afghanistan!!!!!

[Ganja Ninja]

50. If your a heroin junkie than things are looking up.

[gatlingforme]

57. I forgot sarcasm is prohibited in here. But to the junkie this is a

success so far.

[electricmonk]

48. Co-workers were laughing about this story last night

because of the absurdity of it. Anyone with half a brain knows he's full of it now.

On a related note here's an excerpt from a recent post from my friend's blog. He's currently in Afghanistan covering the war for IHA.

So, there are three major reasons why the world hears little out of Afghanistan. The first is the simplest: Iraq. Very little about Afghanistan is noticed because of the abundance of news coming from that war. This is one of the major reasons I believe that George Bush is failing here. By invading Iraq, including the subsequent events, the U.S. policy has robbed Afghanistan of the much needed press that is essential for Afghanistan's rebuilding efforts to be successful.
As we speak, UNAMA is not only 30 million dollars short in pledges to have the elections, but not one dollar of 70 million dollars that has been pledged has made it to UNAMA. Not one dollar. They need 80 million by July 1st, and that's just for the elections (which were originally scheduled for this month but are currently delayed until September).
Point is, this very controversial war (in Iraq) has slowed the efforts in the true war on terrorism to a trickle. The armed forces are getting a low intensity workout, but the real problems are not being addressed: Drugs and madrases. The only way to address these essential terror driven problems is to have a concentrated effort of rehabilitation. Rehabilitation is a word that is long an afterthought due to the war in Iraq. Amazingly enough, as near-impotent as NATO is here in Afghanistan, I'm still spinning in amazement that both Bush and Blair called for NATO to contribute to Iraq. How about fufiling the commitment to Afghanistan?
Second: American secrecy. The Americans have so many "special op" qualified people fighting the "real war" here, that it's nearly impossible to get the story. To encounter any sort of the true "combat experience" here is very rare. To be clear: The contact in this country is not easy to predict. It's actually near impossible. The problem is that a large majority of combat falls under "special operations".
more here

[Tracer]

49. Karzai is somewhat more honest than SmirkBoy.

During an interview I watched, Karzai was asked if he thought Afghanistan was in danger of becoming a "narcostate".

To my surprise, he answered "yes".

[The Stranger]

51. NPR (Neocon Public Relations) had a feel-good story on Afghanistan

this morning that dovetails nicely with the bizarre, alcohol and cocaine-induced blathering that comes from the Chimpanzee in Chief.

[goforit]

54. Yah...take your Opium * and dream on!!!

[Darranar]

55. "Success"?

Rampant chaos, continued fighting, and worsening conflict is a "success"?

[Sabriel]

58. It's good news for me!`

By that definition, I guess my unfinished, crappy dissertation is a "success," too.
Sabriel

[dArKeR]

60. Afghanistan is Iraq's future, says Bush

http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/world/archives/2004/06/17/2003175410


pic
http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/world/photo/2004/06/17/2003138180

[Virginian]

61. What! The oil pipeline is completed already?

I thought it would have taken longer.

[Aunt Anti-bush]

62. Another mission accomplished.

Yeah, right.