After all the rhetoric, after all the posturing, after all the deaths, injuries, the collateral damage, and after all the billions and billions of dollars of U.S. taxpayers money that have been spent, the people of the United States are left with one undeniable truth, few citizens feel absolutely comfortable with the stated reasons behind the reasons for going to war in Iraq.
In Afghanistan, the U.S's longest war continues with only a glimmer of hope that things there will continue towards a victory and a better way of life for the country's citizens. The war there, since October 7, 2001, is limping into its 11th year, and all indicators point to a victory being no closer than 1 or 2 years ago.
Iraq, with a huge American "foot-print" intact is heading for troop removal in "Iraq proper” by December 31st of this year. I say "Iraq proper" for a very good reason, a reason that might reject what the President has been saying for the past several months, "that American is leaving Iraq." If you call at least 16,000 staff-members at the biggest conciliate that the United States has....."in the world," and thousands of troops just outside the Iraqi boarders, "chomping at the bit," ready for any kind of action, then ya, the Iraq war is over.
Afghanistan is different than Iraq, as many people have said, "there might be under a hundred Taliban left in the country," that would seem a good sign. I however do have one question that nobody seems to be able to answer, "if the Taliban membership is so low," then who is shooting at American soldiers" and "who are we shooting at"; I don't get it.
Obama yesterday welcomed home around 3000 troops from Iraq, saying "he was proud to welcome them home," after an "extraordinary achievement." The closure of dozens of military bases, "turned over to the Iraqi troops, "cha-ching " leads people to believe that the war is over, the loss of more than 4000 people, and the hundreds of thousands of dead Iraqi civilians.
People can now walk down any street at high noon in Baghdad, or any other major city and not worry about getting their head blown off, or carried off to some ally and beaten, usually to death by an enemy that, according to President Obama and the military chiefs "on the ground" say doesn't exist and have been vanquished.
After the loss of some 4000 troops, sacrificed by a faulty Bush administration and a hungry power grab, with murder going on every day, bombings and kidnappings pretty much the norm, what part of the word "victory" is not understood. The President referred to U.S. troops closing down and leaving Iraq with their heads held high. For that statement I have just one word of warning.....DUCK.
Clearly the United States, under the Bush regime entered Iraq for one reason, oil, even high ranking officials in the Bush administration have finally said as much. The United States took over Iraq for one simple reason, to nation build.....in our own image. The Americans were never interested in upholding human rights, or breaking Saddam Hussein, that could have been done at any time. The U.S. wanted the country's oil, plain and simple.
IS THE UNITED STATES WINNING IN AFGHANISTAN.
Well, eh, ah.....well.....no, not exactly, but things are getting better every day, if you don't believe me, just ask Leon Panetta, U.S. Defense Secretary. As the U.S. readies to withdraw 33,000 troops by December 31st. 2012, Panetta points to "sure signs" of victory.
It must be something about the yearend air that prompts American military to "draw-down" troops, December 31st. 2011, December 31st. 2012, is there a connection there? Victory in Afghanistan is as questionable as is Iraq's. The Afghan war is now all a question about "foot-prints" and the possible exploration of struggling nation’s mineral riches that is untapped.
Military experts talk about staying past 2024, making the Afghan war more than twice as long as any war the United States has been in. I would be 81 by that time, and hopefully dead, I have no inclination to stay around and watch the stupidity of Americans manifest itself in a silly war of "foot-printing."
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