| Topic: |
Religions > Atheism |
| User: |
"Yang, AthD \h.c" |
| Date: |
31 May 2004 01:51:08 PM |
| Object: |
Bob Novak: Bush Fucked Up Afghanistan Too |
Another conservative jumping off of Bush's sinking ship
http://www.suntimes.com/output/novak/cst-edt-novak31.html
U.S. is lost in Afghanistan
May 31, 2004
BY ROBERT NOVAK SUN-TIMES COLUMNIST
The handful of valiant American warriors fighting the ''other'' war in
Afghanistan is not a happy band of brothers. They are undermanned and feel
neglected, lack confidence in their generals and are disgusted by Afghan
political leadership. Most important, they are appalled by the immense but
fruitless effort to find Osama bin Laden for purposes of U.S. politics.
This bleak picture goes unreported because journalists are rarely seen
there. It was painted to me by hard U.S. fighters who are committed to the
war against terrorism but have a heavy heart. They talked to me not to
undermine policy but to reveal problems that should and can be corrected.
Afghanistan constitutes George W. Bush's clearest victory since the
terrorist attacks of 9/11. The Taliban regime has been overthrown,
eliminating al-Qaida's most important base. But the overlooked war continues
with no end in sight. Narcotics trafficking is at an all-time high. If U.S.
forces were to leave, the Taliban -- or something like it -- would regain
power. The United States is lost in Afghanistan, bound to this wild country
and unable to leave.
The situation in Afghanistan, as laid out to me, looks nothing like a
country alleged to be progressing toward representative democracy under
American tutelage. Hamid Karzai, the U.S.-sponsored Afghan president, is
regarded by the U.S. troops as hopelessly corrupt and kept in power by U.S.
force of arms.
Those arms are not what they seem. The basic U.S. strength in Afghanistan is
17,000 troops of ''straight-legged'' infantry -- conventional forces
ill-prepared to handle irregulars. The new unit assigned to Afghanistan is
the 25th Infantry Division, which has been stationed at Schofield Barracks,
Hawaii, and has not seen combat since the Vietnam War.
More important than this conventional infantry division are two commando
units known as Black SOF (Special Operations Forces) and White SOF. Black
SOF, by far the more numerous of the two, is assigned to capture Osama bin
Laden. Nothing would do more to boost President Bush's sagging popularity
than getting the designer of the 9/11 attacks.
The problem is that nobody I have talked to in the military thinks his
capture is likely or may even be possible. The American fighting men think
''UBL'' (as he is called) is hiding in Pakistan, impossible to find. Most
exasperating to the men in the field is the manpower and effort expended on
what they consider to be a helpless cause.
It is White SOF that is given the task of confronting armed
narco-terrorists. There are hardly more than 100 American soldiers assigned
to this duty, many of them bearded and dressed as Afghans. They are
augmented by British and New Zealand special forces, CIA paramilitaries and
U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency operatives.
They are also hamstrung by senior officers who may be expert in conventional
warfare but are at a loss to understand American troops who are far closer
in style to Lawrence of Arabia than George Patton. The special operations
soldiers and junior officers have a low opinion of Lt. Gen. David W. Barno,
the U.S. military commander. On paper, he looks good: West Pointer, Ranger,
veteran of the Grenada and Panama invasions. But they grumble that Barno
does not have a clue.
It is a strange war, with the JAGs -- Judge Advocate General military
lawyers -- given a hand in military decisions. My sources tell of
commanders, despite credible intelligence of enemy forces, calling off air
strikes on the advice of JAGs. This is the kind of restraint the U.S.
military has experienced starting with the Korean War, when as a noncombat
Army officer, I knew our forces had their hands tied behind their backs.
I am told that one discouraged and now discharged Special Forces officer,
who always has voted Republican and admires Bush, thought about contacting a
former military colleague now advising John Kerry. He decided that would
accomplish nothing and would inject him in politics. Being lost in
Afghanistan transcends politics and is a long-term American burden.
--
Yang
a.a. #28
AthD (h.c.) conferred by the regents of the LCL
a.a. pastor #-273.15, the most frigid church of Celcius nee Kelvin
EAC Econometric Forecast and Socerey Division
Proudly plonked by Lani Girl and Crazyalec
The Bush 'balanced' budget: 1.3 trillion and worsening
The Bush 'economic' policy: -3 million jobs and counting
The Bush Iraq lie: -809 GIs, one friend's co-worker's son and mounting
Having Bush ***** up my country: Worthless
.
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