toldailytopic: Afganistan. If you were president what would you do about Afganistan?

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Granite

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Direct threats. Had Kim Jong (mentally) Il been successful with his missile test and come anywhere near Hawaii with a missile test, we might have nuked N. Korea by now.

Nuking them would be a horrifying mistake.

On topic, the war in Afghanistan is a total crock and the sooner we get out the better. That said, I doubt it'll happen any time soon, if ever.
 

annabenedetti

like marbles on glass
Direct threats. Had Kim Jong (mentally) Il been successful with his missile test and come anywhere near Hawaii with a missile test, we might have nuked N. Korea by now.

That's not at all comparable with invading them, and sending in troops to bring "democracy", village by village, with untold loss of death to both soldier and civilian.
 

DocJohnson

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On topic, the war in Afghanistan is a total crock and the sooner we get out the better. That said, I doubt it'll happen any time soon, if ever.

Obama is satisfied allowing our boys to die over there. He's not in a hurry to bring home those who would vote against his agenda.
 

Granite

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Obama is satisfied allowing our boys to die over there. He's not in a hurry to bring home those who would vote against his agenda.

It's not just Obama. He's a president, which means he's just the caretaker of the status quo. No matter who is in office, we stay in Afghanistan and Iraq.
 

DocJohnson

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It's not just Obama. He's a president, which means he's just the caretaker of the status quo. No matter who is in office, we stay in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Um, no... he's the Commander in Cheif. He has the power to pull them out if he so chooses.
 

Aimiel

Well-known member
They will never return to power in Afghanistan. They can scurry around all they want in the mountains and in Pakistan.
They haven't relinquished any power, unless we happen to be in the village at the time, and they haven't planned an attack on our troops. They return as soon as we leave, and extract blood money from the villagers or threaten/kill them. Their scurrying days will never end until we root them out.
 

Aimiel

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That's not at all comparable with invading them, and sending in troops to bring "democracy", village by village, with untold loss of death to both soldier and civilian.
So far: 808. It isn't un-told. Civilian casualties are being minimized by the new Army leadership in country. No, nuking Korea has to do with their being the enemy, and their capabilities; whereas in Afghanistan it isn't the citizens we're at war with, it is the resident extremist insurgents. As the Afghan people realize we're there to root them out and help them organize their own government, they're pitching in to help us complete our task. Attacking the civilian populace and haphazardly killing innocents in the process isn't good policy and has been abandoned.
 

Granite

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Um, no... he's the Commander in Cheif. He has the power to pull them out if he so chooses.

Eh. Maybe yes, maybe no; considering how many people each president is beholden to once elected, I sometimes question how many actual power these guys have.

If Obama really wanted to get our guys out, he probably could--but of course the last president who tried to put the brakes on the war machine got shot in broad daylight.

It doesn't matter who is in the White House. Our boys are over there now, and they're staying put.
 

DocJohnson

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Eh. Maybe yes, maybe no; considering how many people each president is beholden to once elected, I sometimes question how many actual power these guys have.

If Obama really wanted to get our guys out, he probably could--but of course the last president who tried to put the brakes on the war machine got shot in broad daylight.

It doesn't matter who is in the White House. Our boys are over there now, and they're staying put.

Article II, Section 2, Clause I of the United States Constitution states that the President shall be Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy of the United States, and of the Militia of the several States, when called into the actual Service of the United States.

The only thing he needs authorization for is declaring war against another sovereign nation.
 

DocJohnson

New member
Obviously you don't watch or read any news. They're still there, just hiding better. If they weren't, our military has enough sense to pull out when no longer needed.

My friend, I am quite aware of the news. I'm aware that the Taliban has been completely decimated and has been scattered like rats to the far reaches of Afghanistan and Pakistan. They will no longer be a successful organization. They're finished. Let the Afghan people have their dignity back. We have overstayed our welcome, and we are risking losing their respect.

To suggest that our military knows better than the Afghan people how do deal with their own country is just arrogant.
 

Granite

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Article II, Section 2, Clause I of the United States Constitution states that the President shall be Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy of the United States, and of the Militia of the several States, when called into the actual Service of the United States.

The only thing he needs authorization for is declaring war against another sovereign nation.

Doc, I don't need a refresher on the Constitution. Yes, in theory, all he needs to do is order the troops home. The reality is a lot more twisted than that, and you know it.
 

Aimiel

Well-known member
To leave these disgruntled people to the mercy of an angered hive of agressors would be far worse than what we've already thrust upon the Afghan citizens. We need to not only root out what's left of the Taliban but train the townsfolk how to resist the enemy when they return, as they do every day.
 

DocJohnson

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To leave these disgruntled people to the mercy of an angered hive of agressors would be far worse than what we've already thrust upon the Afghan citizens. We need to not only root out what's left of the Taliban but train the townsfolk how to resist the enemy when they return, as they do every day.

Aimiel, I love ya, man, but you're just wrong on this. The Afghan people are not disgruntled... yet. They will slowly become so the longer we continue to occupy their land. They are also perfectly capable of defending themselves against superior forces.
 

DocJohnson

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Doc, I don't need a refresher on the Constitution. Yes, in theory, all he needs to do is order the troops home. The reality is a lot more twisted than that, and you know it.

Sounds like another lame excuse to me. He promised to bring them home, and America elected him to do just that. All he has to do is command it, and it will happen.
 

Granite

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Sounds like another lame excuse to me. He promised to bring them home, and America elected him to do just that. All he has to do is command it, and it will happen.

Which of course he won't. That's the point. Why in the world would any president buck the war machine and the very interests who got him/her elected in the first place? It simply wouldn't (and won't) happen. That's not an "excuse," that's just the reality of the kind of country we live in today. There's too much money to be made staying in Afghanistan and Iraq.
 

DocJohnson

New member
Which of course he won't. That's the point. Why in the world would any president buck the war machine and the very interests who got him/her elected in the first place? It simply wouldn't (and won't) happen. That's not an "excuse," that's just the reality of the kind of country we live in today. There's too much money to be made staying in Afghanistan and Iraq.

So, what you're saying is, Obama's no different than his predecessor. So much for change.
 
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