We're making it and breaking it in Afghanistan

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Does this sound familiar?

Make-or-break moment in Afghanistan: US

FORWARD OPERATING BASE JOYCE, Afghanistan, July 25 AFP - US military chief Admiral Mike Mullen says NATO-led troops face a pivotal moment in Afghanistan, with the outcome of the war effort in the balance.

Speaking to army troops on Sunday at an outpost in rugged eastern Afghanistan, Mullen said a revised strategy and a surge in US forces meant it was time to start seeing results in the nearly nine-year mission.

Even though American troops had been in the country since 2001, it was "really over the course of the last year that we've got the strategy right, we've got the leadership right and we've got the resources right," Mullen told a group of soldiers standing in blazing summer heat.

They trot out this nonsense every time they're looking for money from Congress to continue on with their 'pollyanish misadventure'. Too bad there aren't enough legislators willing to hold these generals to their word. Despite the shuffling of commanders, we still have the same core bunch of Bush holdovers sacrificing lives and resources to avoid ultimately calling their 'war' a failure . . . just like in Iraq . . .

read: http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-world/makeorbreak-moment-in-afghanistan-us-20100726-10qub.html


Nonetheless, the Joint Chiefs Chairman wants us to know that, for all of our efforts and support, things are just going to get worse in Afghanistan . . . before the fantastical transformation to 'victory' occurs.

Top U.S. officer warns Afghan war will get worse

KABUL | Sun Jul 25, 2010 - More NATO troops will die in Afghanistan as violence mounts over the summer, but Washington's goal of turning the tide against the insurgency by year's end is within reach, the top U.S. military officer said on Sunday.

"As we continue our force levels and our operations over the summer ... we will likely see further tough casualties and levels of violence," Mullen told a news conference in Kabul.

Despite the rise in casualties, Mullen said "slow but steady" progress was being made and that Washington's strategy of reversing the insurgency's momentum was still obtainable by the end of the year. The next months would be crucial, he added.

"No one is declaring victory but there is progress," said Mullen. "I believe that goal is still achievable and certainly the proof of that will be what happens over these next many months in what is a very challenging period . . ."

read: http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE66O1G220100725?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews


'. . . reversing the insurgency's momentum'. Impressed? We can't defeat it but we can sacrifice life, limb, and livelihood to 'turn' it . . . like we were supposed to have done in Iraq. (I thought they said we shouldn't compare the two U.S. military aggressions.)

Mullen: Afghanistan Can 'Turn' by Obama Deadline

The top U.S. military officer says critics who claim it will take years to even have a chance to defeat the Afghan insurgency ignore the fact that a similar counterinsurgency strategy turned around a similarly difficult situation in Iraq in 2007. The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen, spoke to reporters traveling with him to South and Central Asia Thursday.

"Insurgencies last a long time," said Mullen. "But, as you look at how long it took to turn Iraq around, it was about 18 months. Now, we're about two-and-a-half years later, and we're still working in Iraq. But it was sort of that period of time where it really turned. Turning it doesn't end it, but you've got to turn it to get it moving in the right direction."

"There are similarities and differences between Iraq and Afghanistan, and I understand that," added Mullen. "But I don't accept the fact that, just because it takes insurgencies a long, long time to be defeated, that we're not at a point where it can't be turned, because I think it can. It doesn't mean it's going to be easy. But, I think it can be turned over the period of time that we're talking about . . ."

read: http://www1.voanews.com/english/news/Admiral-Mullen-Says-Afghanistan-Can-Turn-by-Obama-Deadline-99012034.html

[Sal Minella]

1. I remember Viet Nam.

We were always just about to "turn the corner" in Viet Nam.

We listened to that for months and years and years, and nodded and smiled while the body bags continued to come home.

Maybe these guys need to watch Robert MacNamara's movie -- Eleven Lessons and Carols or whatever it is -- to realize how idiotic they sound.

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2. that's right, Sal. 'Peace with honor' and all that nonsense

. . . but this isn't Vietnam either. :eyes: