Calling a Time Out by George McGovern

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

yes, he is still alive...

As you settle into the Oval Office, Mr. President, may I offer a suggestion? Please do not try to put Afghanistan aright with the U.S. military. To send our troops out of Iraq and into Afghanistan would be a near-perfect example of going from the frying pan into the fire. There is reason to believe some of our top military commanders privately share this view. And so does a broad and growing swath of your party and your supporters.

True, the United States is the world's greatest power -- but so was the British Empire a century ago when it tried to pacify the warlords and tribes of Afghanistan, only to be forced out after excruciating losses. For that matter, the Soviet Union was also a superpower when it poured some 100,000 troops into Afghanistan in 1979. They limped home, broken and defeated, a decade later, having helped pave the way for the collapse of the Soviet Union.

more at http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/21/AR2009012102489.html?hpid=opinionsbox1


and he makes more sense than ever

[navarth]

1. I hope Barack is listening...

We don't need to go down the same hole as the Soviets

[Chulanowa]

2. Afghanis are the world's premier asskickers

Is you need an ass kicked, nobody kicks ass like an afghan asskicker. There are only two men in history who have defeated the Afghans - Alexander of Macedonia and Genghis Khan. Neither one managed to pacify the region, only plow through it en route to somewhere less hostile. And I guarantee that there is no motherfucker on the face of the earth who can compare with either Alexander or Temujin in terms of sheer asskicking power - And if there is, he's probably FROM Afghanistan.

[struggle4progress]

3. Good advice from a great American:

The 32 million or so Afghanis earn, on average, less than two dollars a day

The Iraq war has been costing us about $350 million a day

So we could have doubled or tripled average income in Afghanistan at a fraction of the cost of the Iraq war

http://www.acdi-cida.gc.ca/CIDAWEB/acdicida.nsf/En/RAC-102283559-GSJ
http://goliath.ecnext.com/coms2/gi_0199-5385962/AFGHANISTAN-S-PER-CAPITA-INCOME.html

[EmeraldCityGrl]

4. If Obama plays his cards right, keeps the conciliatory position

he suggested in his inauguration speech, we may be able to avoid an "ass kicking."

[Iwillnevergiveup]

5. I was actually thinking of America

when Barack addressed foreign leaders - words to the effect your people will judge you by what you build, not what you destroy. The U.S. of A. is surely responsible for a lot of destruction throughout the world. Our war machine has been ramped up for a very long time throughout Republican and Democratic administrations. Too long. I agree with McGovern...feed to lead.