General Calls for More U.S. Troops to Avoid Afghan Failure

[Bragi]

Source: New York Times

WASHINGTON — The top military commander in Afghanistan warns in a confidential assessment of the war there that he needs additional troops within the next year or else the conflict “will likely result in failure.”

The grim assessment is contained in a 66-page report that the commander, Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, submitted to Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates on Aug. 30, and which is now under review by President Obama and his top national security advisers...

General McChrystal’s view offered a stark contrast, and the language he used was striking.

“Failure to gain the initiative and reverse insurgent momentum in the near term (next 12 months) — while Afghan security capacity matures — risks an outcome where defeating the insurgency is no longer possible,” General McChrystal writes.

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/21/world/asia/21afghan.html?ref=global-home

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Sounds as though there is agreement among military management that the war is lost, and the focus for McChrystal is avoiding personal blame for the coming ungracious withdrawal and acknowledged defeat.

[saigon68]

1. "BRING EM ON" shouted General McCrazy

Stepping into the SHOES OF THE AWOL CHIMPANZEE

[gratuitous]

2. Avoid failure? What would success look like, General?

{Crickets}

[aquart]

3. General is a fool then. NOBODY wins in Afghanistan. GET OUT NOW.

[BlooInBloo]

4. Heh. "Confidential".

[tularetom]

5. He's tryin to cover his own ass and salvage what remains of his career

Obama needs to pay no attention to this brass bound windbag, call his bluff and let him dangle slowly in the wind.

It's just an attempt to stick Obama with ownership of the Afghanistan debacle.

[Bragi]

8. Sadly, Obama already owns this issue

Which isn't to say there is nothing he can do to shift tack on this, and to end this war, which is what he needs to do. I see McChrystal here as just trying to set up the situation so he can blame Obama for the coming defeat and withdrawal.

[WriteDown]

9. Remains of his career?

He's a General. What kind of advancement is he looking at? Maybe he should shoot for 5 stars?

[Thothmes]

13. That brass bound windbag

was appointed to that command by President Obama. Maybe not enough yesman for the administrations liking?

[bluestateguy]

6. Confidential

I'd like to know who breached the confidentiality here.

That person needs to be fired.

[DebbieCDC]

7. He's channeling Westmoreland

Another serving of Vietnam anyone?

[endless october]

10. get them out of there.

is there a politician out there who has actually studied history?

[underpants]

11. Read this at lunch today- WOW they really did screw it up THAT bad

Meaning, of course

[bemildred]

12. We have been there 8 years, bozo. We already lost.

The only question is how much it is going to cost us, and staying there longer just runs up the cost.

[Libertas1776]

14. The Greeks, the Romans,

the British, the Soviets all sent in thousands and thousands of soldiers and they all left with their tail between their legs. My god, not even Genghis fucking Khan and his Mongol Hoard, whose empire was knocking on Western Europe's front door, couldn't even take Afghanistan.


But we're different right? USA! USA! USA! :sarcasm:


We failed in Afghanistan. We failed before we even went in there. We failed when we refused to appropriate a few measly funds to build roads and schools after they drove out the Soviets, and let the Taliban fill in the vacuum. This mission was doomed to failure from the start.