Nine Years On, Only 41 Percent of Americans Believe US Can Win in Afghanistan

[cory777]

Source: CS Monitor

Until recently, the nine-year conflict in Afghanistan had become “the forgotten war” for many Americans – a complaint increasingly heard among US troops there.

But this week’s sacking of Gen. Stanley McChrystal as US commander puts Afghanistan – and especially how the fight against the Taliban is going – squarely back into public thought and concern.

Most Americans agree with Obama that McChrystal had to go, polls show. But they’re far less supportive of the conflict itself, weary of what’s become the longest war in US history.

A recent Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of likely voters finds that just 41 percent “now believe it is possible for the United States to win the nearly nine-year-old war in Afghanistan.” More to the point, a plurality of 48 percent now say ending the war in Afghanistan is a more important goal than winning it.

Read more: http://www.truth-out.org/nine-years-on-only-41-percent-americans-believe-us-can-win-afghanistan60824

[Lasher]

1. What would winning look like?

What is the objective?

[Citizen Worker]

2. Exactly!

The political class keeps telling us we must eliminate the terrorists. Our occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan have proven to be the perfect recruiting tool for more terrorists. How in the hell are we going to defeat a tactic? And if we do who on the other side is going to sign the peace treaty?

[aquart]

4. They sign contracts with American-affiliated corporations for all their mineral wealth.

And then recruit and train armies to defend it on their dime. Right?

I'm in a mean, bitter mood. I broke a tooth.

[Lasher]

13. No, we recruit and train armies to defend it on our dime, not theirs.

Deficit military spending R us.

Sorry you broke a tooth.

:hug:

[Braulio]

9. Happy Afghans singing "God is Great"

I think that's the objective. Isn't it? We know Osama isn't in Afghanistan, the objective has to be something like that.

[Myrina]

12. +100

Thank you. :applause:

[grahamhgreen]

15. Obama sez winning in Afghanistan means winning in Pakistan

Precisely: .... dismantle, and defeat al Qaeda in Afghanistan and Pakistan"

And I think he's including Yemen now as well.

The real goal is to make as much money from war and killing as possible

[truth2power]

17. Your question, Lasher, is a clear example of critical thinking...

The task of the critical thinker, before discussion even begins, is to make sure that everyone agrees on the definition of terms. Rarely, do any of our so-called leaders attempt to explain what "winning" actually means. If they do, it's a lie made up out of whole cloth.

Try this: All these wars we're fighting are resource wars. We're not interested in whether women can go to school, or whether certain countries have nuclear weapons, or even getting revenge for having been attacked "from Afghanistan" on 9/11.

Winning in Afghanistan is making that country, and especially the area around Helmand Province, safe enough that the corporations can begin constructing the pipeline to carry gas to the Caspian Sea.

End of story.

[Lasher]

24. And then use Afghanistan & Iraq military bases to attack Iran.

All components of the neocon dream of world conquest.

But these objectives are not being confessed. That's why stated justifications come across like the vague platitudes that they are.

[truth2power]

27. Quite right! And when Obama pontificates about

how we were attacked from Afghanistan, well....I'm not allowed to say he lies, so I'll just suggest that he's being disingenuous.

[UpInArms]

25. olive garden (TM) and mcdonalds (TM) on every corner?

[Lasher]

32. And all Afghanis voting in free elections for the candidates we like.

Not the way the Palestinians voted. That was not a free election because they voted for Hamas and we didn't want them to.

[SunnySong]

34. thank you a lack of a goal line seems to be the biggest obstacle.

[Lasher]

35. Having a clearly defined objective is one of the basic principles of modern warfare.

It is usually listed first, since it is the most important one.

[aquart]

3. 41%? That's a lot of uninformed people.

[LawnKorn]

7. How many of the 41% work for defense contractors and see the war as a gravy train

The general management and large stock holders of:

Lockheed Martin
Boeing
Northrop Grumman
Raytheon
General Dynamics
L-3 Communications
United Technologies
KBR
SAIC
General Electric
Honeywell

all agree that not only is the war winnable, but it is providing major benefits to the United States. They are fully prepared to give massive campaign donations to any elected official who agrees with them.

[timtom]

33. You read my mind

[ixion]

5. Uh-huh. And there are still idiots who thing we can 'win' the so-called 'war'

on drugs and terror, too.

Just goes to show that as a species we're just not too bright.

[KG]

6. many still believe 9-11 (official version) was planned and controlled from a cave in the mountains

of one of the most backwards countries on the planet, too. :eyes:

[truth2power]

18. The official version is absurd, on it's face. eom

[Robb]

8. Here's a link to the Rasmussen poll:

http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/current_events/afghanistan/41_say_u_s_can_win_war_in_afghanistan_36_disagree">LINKY

It's about a month old. Here's some meat:

Just before President Obama announced his new strategy for the war last December, only 39% thought a U.S. victory was possible, while 36% disagreed. But confidence that America can win jumped to 51% after the president’s highly-publicized strategy was declared. But support began to decline after that.

...I think the take-away is that the public is woefully uninformed. and swayed by the most publicized events rather than the facts. To wit: Obama delivers a policy speech, numbers go up.

[bowens43]

10. what is there to win?

this war is complete and utter stupidity.

[burnsei sensei]

11. Even that 41% is far too high.

It indicates that many Americans, too many, don't know what's at stake, and the losses we will incur in just a few months.

[dmosh42]

14. At least this says we're not completely dumb!

It's just that we're under control of the corporatist crooks, so just keep sending your sons and daughters for the Bush-Obama wars. Being from the Vietnam era, and having volunteered four years active service, I have to wonder why I did it?

[grahamhgreen]

16. How many Americans should die for the corrupt Islamic republic we created in Afghanistan?

[truth2power]

19. No, how many Americans should die to enrich the corporations

who will profit from the building of the TAPI pipeline?

Answer: None.

[IOKIYAL]

20. ONLY!? Sorry, that's alot. Let me know when it's in the low 30's.

[pleah]

21. I thought the percentage would be lower. :( n/t

[kgnu_fan]

22. 41% of ignorance

[Better Today]

23. Then 41% are morons. We lost before we began by

refusing to work with the Taliban when they said they'd turn over binLaden et al if we showed real evidence of their involvement.

Then we lost the war some more when we opened Guantanamo and tortured innocents and by standers

Then we lost the war some more when we turned away to war in Iraq

Then we lost some more because we backed a corrupt president Karzai, more than once.

Then we lost even more when nearly two years post-Obama, Guantanamo and rendition to other similar torture sites around the world are still being used and torture is still a real issue.

Oh, and let's not forget all the innocent civilians we've accidentally killed by pilots sitting safely in a game room running drones.

We've lost so much, we can never win.

[Bo]

26. WIN WHAT? ......The Natural resources maybe.

Both Iraq and Afghan. are FUBAR...there is NO winning.

[gtar100]

28. Win what?

[Lagomorph]

29. We could win in a month...

The trick is to learn to live with what we would have to do.

As long as their hearts beat, the fight lives on. The only way to defeat them is to stop their hearts.

I'm against it.

[Duer 157099]

30. And 0% Could Even Define What "Win" Would Mean n/t

[JoeyT]

31. And that 41 percent very likely define "win" as "Kill more Muslims".

Even if it costs us our humanity and our country.

And before anyone gets all pissed off about that being said, keep in mind that's a lower percentage than voted for Bush in either election. Those are the Republican base. The "Love It or Leave It" crowd that just want to see us attacking other countries for the pure hell of doing it.

[saigon68]

36. pissing away $$$$ Obama style

[GlennWRECK]

37. We should have been gone ages ago

Feels like I've been saying that for 9 years... oh wait, I have...

[Quantess]

38. Funny name.

Welcome to DU!

[Quantess]

39. Funny name.

Welcome to DU!