How ironic that the "most liberal" member of the Senate (at least for the few short months that he was an active Senator) chastised then President Bush and General Petraeus for their execution of the war in Iraq. It didn't matter how many troops were "surged", the Senator claimed, this was a civil war and no amount of US troops could settle it.
Well, Mr. President, you're so smart. Brilliant, we're told. It should be easy now that the bar, as you pointed out, "has been lowered." It's your turn now. You fix it!
Charles Krauthammer writes in his most recent column.
Just last week, chief of staff Rahm Emanuel reiterated that July 2011 is a hard date. And Vice President Biden is adamant that “in July of 2011, you’re going to see a whole lot of people moving out. Bet on it.”
Now, Washington sophisticates may interpret this two-step as a mere political feint to Obama’s left — just another case of a president facing a difficult midterm and his own reelection, trying to placate the base. They don’t take this withdrawal date too seriously.
Problem is, Afghans are not quite as sophisticated in interpreting American intraparty maneuvering. This kind of Washington nuance does not translate into Pashto. They hear about an American departure date, and they think about what will happen to them when the Americans leave. The Taliban will remain, and what they lack in popular support — they poll only 6 percent — they make up in terror: When they return to a village, they kill “collaborators” mercilessly, and publicly.
Taliban behead 11 Afghan civilians: police
KABUL (AFP) – The headless bodies of 11 Afghan civilians allegedly decapitated by Taliban insurgents have been found in central Afghanistan, police said Friday.
The bodies were found late Thursday in the Khas Uruzgan district of rural Uruzgan province, Mohammad Gulab, the provincial criminal investigation police chief, told AFP.
"Eleven civilians were found beheaded late yesterday," he said, blaming Taliban insurgents.
The Taliban have made no comment.
Taliban occasionally behead people they accuse of "spying" for the Afghan government and foreign forces in the country fighting to quell the insurgency now well into its ninth year.
The radical organisation earned a reputation for barbarity during nearly six years ruling Afghanistan with punishments that included death by stoning and amputation of hands and feet for even minor crimes.
The regime was overthrown in a US-led invasion in late 2001, quickly regrouping to launch their war, which has drawn more than 140,000 NATO and US troops into Afghanistan, set to peak by August at 150,000.
Somehow, I think the exit strategy has already been implemented. Sit tight, don't make waves, until July 2011. What happens after that is anyone's guess.
Sorry but i didnt notice any feet.....
ReplyDeleteIn the mail today I just got my three month copy of "The Journal of Near Death Studies" which I have been reading for 20 years or more, before that it was Anabiosis, and I have to tell you the offerings are getting slim, one editorial, one article, and one book review. I'm not sure why this is, though I think trends come and go. All by PhD's, but in the glory days the Journal was 100 pages or more, and this is about 30. First of September there is the annual get together, never have been to one, but I am thinking of going, in San Diego, I think it is. But if I had my choice, I'd suck red toes.
ReplyDeleteOT, but interesting perspective if accurate - even using the high end estimates of cumulative oil leaked from the Deepwater Horizon well, the volume would only fill 1/7th of New Orleans' superdome. See this article for more.
ReplyDelete"Sorry but i didnt notice any feet....."
ReplyDeleteNo...You wouldn't. Not with those blinders on.
There may be something in Leviticus about red toes.
ReplyDeletemee'mi
I never paint my feet and the boys are always satisfied I can tell you that.
ReplyDeletemee'mi
On the other hand somewhere it says with rings on her fingers and rings on her toes she'll be making noise where ever she goes.
ReplyDeletemee'mi