The big questions in the Afghan war are:
1. Is this a war we should/need to fight?
2. If we should/need to fight shouldn’t our goal be to win as quickly and decisively as possible?
Mr. Obama appears to believe that we do need to fight this war. Answer to question 1:
YES.
Mr. Obama’s answer to question 2: By committing at lease 30,000 more troops Mr. Obama is backing up his decision with action. His speech in Oslo also demonstrates that he is willing to stand fast on the security of the United States and our allies.
However, shouldn’t we err on the side of overkill if we are going to err in the conduct of this war? A minimalist approach is not the appropriate approach when you are spending the taxpayer’s treasure and the lives of young Americans. It appears that we are yielding to the more liberal element of congress in this surge. This wing of congress is complaining about the cost of sending troops to shore up our defense and to, hopefully, further limit the loss of our troops and speed up their return home. This is the same group that has no problem increasing the government debt cap to trillions of dollars, most of which will be wasted if the stimulus package is to be an example.
We must fight this war for a multitude of reasons not the least of which is that we have become perceived as a country that is weak and does not follow up on our commitments. Additionally, there is a clear threat to our national security posed by allowing terrorists to have bases established in Afghanistan. Walking away is an unacceptable choice.
What most on the left do not appear to understand is that we do not get to define what strength on our part is: our enemies get to define what is perceived as strength on the part of the United States.
If we must fight, let’s fight. Commit the troops and resources necessary to win in six months not eighteen. Be decisive, finish the job and bring our troops home.
We must also have a plan for after the fighting is over. This has been missing from the beginning; otherwise, we would not still be there. We won this fight once, now we have to win it again. The idea of announcing we will start a troop draw down at a set date is a mistake. That is like telling bank robbers that you are going to leave the vault open and unguarded at a particular day and a specific time. What do you think would happen then?
The administration would take some heat from most in the Democratic Party for taking this strong stand. Mr. Obama will, however, earn his Peace Prize and reap much more in accolades for the victory and in establishing a stable friend in Afghanistan.
This is still the greatest country and the greatest military power on earth. Why do our representatives in congress appear so determined to lower each to the level of the rest of the world?
