Comments on: Foreign Service Officer Resigns His Post In Afghanistan http://news.firedoglake.com/2009/10/27/foreign-service-officer-resigns-his-post-in-afghanistan/ Sat, 18 Feb 2012 04:43:13 -0600 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.2 By: NYCartist http://news.firedoglake.com/2009/10/27/foreign-service-officer-resigns-his-post-in-afghanistan/#comment-1730 NYCartist Tue, 27 Oct 2009 19:17:21 +0000 http://news.firedoglake.com/?p=435#comment-1730 Glenn Greenwald has a good posting on his Salon.com column on this. Bravo to the guy who resigned. Maybe more will. And also write letters. Glenn Greenwald has a good posting on his Salon.com column on this. Bravo to the guy who resigned. Maybe more will. And also write letters.

]]> By: ObamasQuagmire http://news.firedoglake.com/2009/10/27/foreign-service-officer-resigns-his-post-in-afghanistan/#comment-1729 ObamasQuagmire Tue, 27 Oct 2009 19:12:15 +0000 http://news.firedoglake.com/?p=435#comment-1729 And October is now the deadliest month of the war for U.S. forces since the 2001 invasion to oust the Taliban. http://www.obamasquagmire.com/?p=3789 And October is now the deadliest month of the war for U.S. forces since the 2001 invasion to oust the Taliban.

http://www.obamasquagmire.com/?p=3789

]]> By: ObamasQuagmire http://news.firedoglake.com/2009/10/27/foreign-service-officer-resigns-his-post-in-afghanistan/#comment-1727 ObamasQuagmire Tue, 27 Oct 2009 19:02:12 +0000 http://news.firedoglake.com/?p=435#comment-1727 First year of Nobel Peace Prize winner Barack Obama's presidency the deadliest of the 8 years of war in Afghanistan. http://www.obamasquagmire.com/?p=2574 First year of Nobel Peace Prize winner Barack Obama’s presidency the deadliest of the 8 years of war in Afghanistan.

http://www.obamasquagmire.com/?p=2574

]]> By: Raven http://news.firedoglake.com/2009/10/27/foreign-service-officer-resigns-his-post-in-afghanistan/#comment-1725 Raven Tue, 27 Oct 2009 18:47:27 +0000 http://news.firedoglake.com/?p=435#comment-1725 And do what? And do what?

]]> By: sporkovat http://news.firedoglake.com/2009/10/27/foreign-service-officer-resigns-his-post-in-afghanistan/#comment-1722 sporkovat Tue, 27 Oct 2009 18:15:22 +0000 http://news.firedoglake.com/?p=435#comment-1722 Possibly the only campaign promise that Obama is keeping is his pledge to focus more on the Af/Pak situation. Those who supported him as a candidate ought to have known that this increase in focus would result in an increase in blood. And that the strategic incoherence and wildly disproportionate cost/benefits of the situation there were unlikely to be fixable, even by a marketing genius like Barack Obama and his team. So, as the two quagmires drag on through the 4 or possibly 8 years of Obama's presidency, people of conscience should ponder whether support of the lesser evil is still too evil to have on their conscience. If former Marine Corps captain Matthew Hoh can have the courage and clarity to assess reality and step away from what they were doing, then why can't more 'progressives' step away from their unrequited devotion to the Democratic politicians who are running these wars? Possibly the only campaign promise that Obama is keeping is his pledge to focus more on the Af/Pak situation.

Those who supported him as a candidate ought to have known that this increase in focus would result in an increase in blood. And that the strategic incoherence and wildly disproportionate cost/benefits of the situation there were unlikely to be fixable, even by a marketing genius like Barack Obama and his team.

So, as the two quagmires drag on through the 4 or possibly 8 years of Obama’s presidency, people of conscience should ponder whether support of the lesser evil is still too evil to have on their conscience.

If former Marine Corps captain Matthew Hoh can have the courage and clarity to assess reality and step away from what they were doing, then why can’t more ‘progressives’ step away from their unrequited devotion to the Democratic politicians who are running these wars?

]]> By: earlofhuntingdon http://news.firedoglake.com/2009/10/27/foreign-service-officer-resigns-his-post-in-afghanistan/#comment-1720 earlofhuntingdon Tue, 27 Oct 2009 17:44:21 +0000 http://news.firedoglake.com/?p=435#comment-1720 To what extent are we in Afghanistan to encircle Iran? To what extent to keep out other empires, military or commercial, such as Russian or China? To what extent to give our war machine and its Congressional proponents something to do? To what extent to deprive a few hundred armed extremists of a "safe haven"? It's obviously not to deter the growth or flow of opium; it's skyrocketed since our invasion. To what extent are we in Afghanistan to encircle Iran? To what extent to keep out other empires, military or commercial, such as Russian or China? To what extent to give our war machine and its Congressional proponents something to do? To what extent to deprive a few hundred armed extremists of a “safe haven”?

It’s obviously not to deter the growth or flow of opium; it’s skyrocketed since our invasion.

]]> By: SouthernDragon http://news.firedoglake.com/2009/10/27/foreign-service-officer-resigns-his-post-in-afghanistan/#comment-1719 SouthernDragon Tue, 27 Oct 2009 17:43:55 +0000 http://news.firedoglake.com/?p=435#comment-1719 Got that right. Got that right.

]]> By: Raven http://news.firedoglake.com/2009/10/27/foreign-service-officer-resigns-his-post-in-afghanistan/#comment-1717 Raven Tue, 27 Oct 2009 17:38:33 +0000 http://news.firedoglake.com/?p=435#comment-1717 Due to them getting their asses smoked. That's a heavy motivator to change. Due to them getting their asses smoked. That’s a heavy motivator to change.

]]> By: Hugh http://news.firedoglake.com/2009/10/27/foreign-service-officer-resigns-his-post-in-afghanistan/#comment-1716 Hugh Tue, 27 Oct 2009 17:38:32 +0000 http://news.firedoglake.com/?p=435#comment-1716 Having read Hoh's letter, he echoes many of the criticisms that we have made, lack of a clearly defined policy and workable strategy, failure to understand and address the complexities of the social, political, and ethnic divisions within Afghanistan, and a refusal to recognize that Afghanistan is primarily the responsibility of the Afghans, that the emphasis we have placed on it is out of keeping with our approach to threats emanating from similar states, and that it misallocates our resources in combatting terrorism. Having read Hoh’s letter, he echoes many of the criticisms that we have made, lack of a clearly defined policy and workable strategy, failure to understand and address the complexities of the social, political, and ethnic divisions within Afghanistan, and a refusal to recognize that Afghanistan is primarily the responsibility of the Afghans, that the emphasis we have placed on it is out of keeping with our approach to threats emanating from similar states, and that it misallocates our resources in combatting terrorism.

]]> By: SouthernDragon http://news.firedoglake.com/2009/10/27/foreign-service-officer-resigns-his-post-in-afghanistan/#comment-1715 SouthernDragon Tue, 27 Oct 2009 17:37:18 +0000 http://news.firedoglake.com/?p=435#comment-1715 It didn't take long for the Mujahideen to learn they couldn't match the Soviets in set piece battles. I'd call the decision to switch to a guerrilla style definitely due to outside influences. It didn’t take long for the Mujahideen to learn they couldn’t match the Soviets in set piece battles. I’d call the decision to switch to a guerrilla style definitely due to outside influences.

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