[Cross-posted at The Left Coaster.]
Associated Press is reporting the current level of 32,000 American troops in Afghanistan will start a partial withdrawal next year to 9,800 until the end of Obama’s term in 2016.
Obama and administration officials have in the past stated that the Afghanistan war would be over by 2014, but it was never an absolute promise and always predicated upon the acquiescence of Hamid Karzai, titular pathetic leader of Afghanistan, who still refuses to sign the withdrawal agreement.
Hiding in secrecy and enabled by an equally pathetic American journalist, administration officials were quoted anonymously as being confident whatever pawns were available after Karzai’s departure would easily be manipulated into American subservience, never any worries about the formal treaty of peace.
Let us note that after 13 years, trillions of dollars spent, thousands of American troops dead and wounded, thousands more perished in the coalition and lord knows many Afghans lost that Afghanistan is a flaming evil wreck of country even more smashed than when we arrived in 2001, and it was a hell of ruins then.
Corruption runs rampant, greased by endless American taxpayer funds. There is no viable political system, [chuckles] and Karzai is head of nothing afraid to leave his house, why the Americans are so fixated upon his approval is a mystery, but whatever. Terrible societal conditions exist at almost every level, we did nothing to build a viable Afghanistan society.
It was entirely ridiculous to think the United States Army, Marine Corps and Department of Defense could ever do so. Forced political coercion through violence and occupation will not work in any sense or dimension, must we tattoo it upon future leaders to make sure that truth is not lost upon our children?
One could in theory state a dimension of success because no terrorist attack occurred on American soil from Afghanistan in that time, but terrorists could have easily launched an attack from anywhere if they chose to do so, one cannot proclaim terrorism success just from a singular geography variable. Furthermore, although one dubiously claims success from an unknown number saved, it is an empirical fact 2322 Americans were killed occupying Afghanistan in the failed occupation.
Why the continued occupation until 2016 despite all the horrifying cost and failure? “…we're going to make sure that Afghanistan can never again, ever, be used again to launch an attack against our country," Obama said in his latest visit to the flaming wreck of a place.
What? How could a President—or anyone—proclaim with certainty into the infinite future a policy success? Of course Obama can’t, what he means that as long as he’s President American troops will be in Afghanistan.
Why is that? So that if a terrorist attack from Afghanistan does occur during the Obama presidency he can say he’d done everything he could have to stop it, he kept the war going and the horrifying troop sacrifice up to make sure Americans would be safe.
Should a terrorist attack occur in any Islamic dimension upon Obama’s watch the hurricane of political criticism from the Republicans is entirely predictable, the authoritarians thrive on violence and overt power symbols, and they absolutely hate that Obama has co-opted them on this issue by capturing Osama bin Laden.
Plus keeping the Iraq war going two years longer than necessary, plus by hugely escalating a secret drone war in Southwest Asia, plus by continuing the $120 billion annual Afghanistan war, plus by not cutting a dime in the monstrously bloated DOD budget.
Obama has co-opted the Republicans on national security, all right, only he became precisely like a Republican to do it. I don’t recall either election stating he’d be just like a Republican on national security. I don’t recall Party partisans proclaiming becoming just like a Republican on national security is an excellent way to demonstrate just how the Parties are so different. No, not once.
Unfortunately for us all the powers of peace hold very little sway in our shining capital of democracy. The DOD and contracting corps love and thrive off the endless bountiful streams of cash, the Republicans love invading and occupying with violence, the corporate media thinks peace is so boring, and of course our current Executive is an ardent militarist, the passivity of peace will never be placed upon him.
Perhaps the next President will finally end the insanity of Afghanistan, make the ridiculous blame of giving up on a country to terrorism on the past Executive. So easy to do, so difficult to see in our present times of fear and violence.