Reply #19: You are either misinterpreting what he said, didn't read what he said in full or spinning it... [View All]

[Turborama]

....A la Raw Story.

An exit strategywas the "main statement". He was/isn't talking about "OUT NOW!" as your poll suggests.

"Now, together with our NATO allies, we have almost 100,000 troops in Afghanistan. Any abrupt reversal
of existing US policy, including the abandonment of Hamid Karzai and his government, and the prompt
withdrawal of US forces might have serious adverse consequences far beyond Afghanistan. AI Qaeda
would claim credit, terrorist recruitment would surge, subversion within the states allied and friendly
with us would intensify, the stability of democracy in neighboring Pakistan could be further undercut,
and US power and prestige might be seen to wane.

On the other hand, the longer we stay, and the larger our force, the more resistance and resentment
that we create, by our disruptive influence, by the casualties we inflict deliberately and accidentally. We
are a foreign element there in a culture which doesn't tolerate diversity. However appealing it is to us to
say, we won't quit, this mistakes American will as the potential weakness, whereas in actuality it is the
strength of our resolution, our persistence and determination which cause difficulties in the region.
There is an Islamic revival underway, a struggle to cope with the spiritual impact of modernization and
globalism, and that revival draws energy from the antagonism our presence creates. We need to find
our way out, seizing credit for such successes as can be achieved, for the region is better dealt with from
a distance than with our presence, and especially not with military presence ..

The approach I would recommend is focused on an exit strategy. The best exit would be after the take
down of the top AI Qaeda leadership in Pakistan. This is an objective about which discussion has been
publicly suppressed, and it probably should remain so. But I hope it will be foremost in the minds of the
Administration.

In the meantime, in Afghanistan, our exit strategy must be built around four factors: attempting to
reduce the level of violence by seeking a political amelioration of the conflict. Greater assistance to the
government of Pakistan in dealing with the AI Qaeda and Taliban remaining in Pakistan, economic
development in Afghanistan and Pakistan, and developing a more capable security structure for the
Afghans."

http://armedservices.house.gov/pdfs/OI111709/Clark_Testimony111709.pdf">Details

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