Charlie Rose

fjgajewski  08/16/2009 07:57 PM Report

www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=14779

tartufe  07/29/2009 07:08 PM Report

Hear, hear DavLev. Nice post.

DavLev  07/29/2009 12:56 PM Report

Prior to the Nov 4th elections, I argued vociferiously with a former classmate who now lives in the South. I was a registerred Democrat, but intended to vote for John McCain/Sarah Palin. This was too much for my friend and classmate. He told me off in no uncertain terms..asking how I, a Democrat, could vote for a war-monger? Well, now our current President is shifting from one war theatre to another, with the possibility of 2 additional conflicts (or three) brewing. I ask, who is the war monger. We defeated the Taliban after 911 and set up a gov't. We defeated Saddam in 3 weeks in 2003, but did not set up a viable (Iraqi) government soon thereafter (our mistake). Sure, there are 60 countries fighting in Afghanistan..a few thousands troops total, against over 60m Pashtun in Pakistan

and Afghanistan. Maliki, (Iraq) now is hinting at our staying beyond 2011. This has been quieted down by our administration for the time being. The interview showed that we simply cannot defeat hundreds of millions of Muslim, especially the Pashtun, some of whom support the zeaots and more radical Muslims (Al Qaeda). What are we doing I would ask the smart military? Why are we willing to take more casualties in a no win war. Once Iran gets nukes..our problems will be magnified 100 fold. I frankly was more than a little dismayed at the responses to Mr. Rose's questions. What I heard was doom and gloom and saw more frozen boxes..even w/o giving the stats on the Taliban and civilian deaths in Afganistan. Didn't we learn anything

from Vietnam?

tartufe  07/29/2009 12:51 PM Report

Maybe Napalitano will scare the bejeezus out of us tonite re home grown crazies. Right after Mexican drug cartels.

My favorite is nukes in ship containers.

tartufe  07/29/2009 12:42 PM Report

Spot on Ryan. Have said as much many times over. Yemen probably a more serious haven for plotters than Af-Pak.

Conventional military assaults may be becoming passe. Intelligence (good that is) first then Special Forces type actions if deemed to have a better than say 70% chance of success. Backed with coordination, notification and diplomacy to the hilt to prevent pr backfire.

Even this may be futile. Home grown crazies are becoming a bigger concern, more difficult to detect and subdue.

ryansmith  07/29/2009 12:26 AM Report

If the primary U.S. interest in Afghanistan is denying safe havens to transnational terrorist organization, I would argue this is hardly worth more American blood and treasure. Non-state actors--as the name implies--do not have a return address and can thus operate with a certain level of freedom in a number of weak of failed states. As it stands now, al Qaeda is operating with some autonomy in areas in Pakistan. Additionally, U.S. intelligence assessments have noted many more al Qaeda members are moving into states like Yemen and Somalia. Will we pursue them here as well? We should instead be focusing on military operations that leave a smaller foot print to kill high value targets, containing these organizations to the greatest degree possible, and building more robust intelligence assets to accomplish this. Afghanistan is simply not worth it.

doodahdaze  07/28/2009 03:42 PM Report

Nothing personal against Mr. Rumsfeld. He meant well; he just happened to be wrong. And unfortunately in his line of work, when he 'misjudges' it costs lives. He knew that going in, and he accepted it going out. When he finally writes his book/memoirs, - 'It Takes a Pillage', I will be first in line to have him sign it... Hopefully he won't sock me in the nose.

doodahdaze  07/28/2009 03:08 PM Report

I think now that they have finally pushed Rumsfeld (the last of the old guard) out of the way. The military is embarking on the verge of a new era, one in which, they will incorporate a more intelligent form of warfare judo. Integrating dynamic evil thwarting systems, in much the same fashion that the terrorist enemy uses to combat our traditional approach to 'fighting back' against their attacks on civilization. .. As long as babies continue to be born, good will always conquer evil (in the long run) (regarding human to human interaction). .. Natural disasters, like meteorites and countless other stuff, well that might be another story.

REMant  07/28/2009 02:18 PM Report

After Vietnam ppl left the army in droves or avoided it like the plague, so that many advanced fast and far. We'll never know if these were the best, but I think not. Personally, I think the lawmakers, no matter what party, will not ask anything at all about Afghanistan itself a year from now, only whether we are killing al Qaeda or Taliban, and at what price.

tartufe  07/28/2009 12:40 PM Report

My name is Ishmael.

tartufe  07/28/2009 12:36 PM Report

Pardon me Mr Exum, have you consulted the MI Oligarchy? Checked their profit forecast? Otherwise your assessment is an exercise in futility. Winning or losing is not even a remote consideration. Refer to Vietnam and Iraq for the real policy check: SUSTAINABILITY!

Sustainability for as long as possible. MILITARY SUSTAINABILITY! Hardware production: helicopters, drones and their missiles, trucks etc. PROFITS!

CORRUPTION? We’ve doubtless taught both the Afghani’s and Pakistani’s a lot in this regard. Black Water equivalents and Halliburton-types are doubtless writ large and firmly embedded in the operations. Another indomitable lobby for SUSTAINABILITY.

CIVILIAN DEATHS! Amazing discourse, as if they were discussing pop-bottle caps. The simple-minded, tactless, inhuman use of drone missiles into compounds containing civilians flippantly discussed, as if our acceptance of “proportional” collateral damage (historically as high as 30) is a biblically ordained dictum. Is the same puerile arrogance applicable on the receiving end? Rockets into American bases including journalists, such as Mr Exum? Civilians are expendable as long as they’re others. There was recent Shock and Awe type chest thumping over ALLEGEDLY killing the son of Osama bin Laden, an admitted low-level functionary. But doubtless great emotional al Qaeda recruitment fodder.

As in Iraq, the outcome will leave a net gain in enmity and enemies whether we leave in 2010 or 2110. We are run by a ship of fools. Another 911 being assuredly cast in stone. Obama’s a surrogate Captain Ahab. The MI Oligarchy his Moby Dick.