It seems, that after several long weeks and months, President Obama and Defense Secretary Gates are saying and doing the right things regarding our involvement in Afghanistan. I ruefully wonder, however, if in the future we have to look back and realize how hollow those words and actions were. I hope I am wrong about that, but the handling of the Afghan situation so far has been clumsy, to be nice.
The troops on the ground, from the top generals to their battle-hardened unit commanders, have a better working knowledge of what is needed. They are there, and know in intimate detail what it will take to achieve success. Gen. McChrystal, the top commander, asked for an additional 40,000 troops; however, he was undercut by Washington and all the experts away from the real fight. Give the "down and dirty" exprets what they desire, and then we may have a real chance for success. World War I and II were won with maximum resources made available.
Right now, in my opinion, our troops are slowly being bled to death by a half-hearted attempt at victory. While the current administration seems to be making the right moves, I don't feel they have gone far enough. The Taliban must be overwhelmed, completely and mercilessly, for any semblance of order to resume in Afghanistan. I believe the philosophy is backward: You cannot conduct a nation-building program in the midst of a war. You must first remove and destroy the existing threat, then a safe, calculated rebuilding effort can commence. Sure, corruption and backyard politics play a central role in the Afghan system. But you must first drive out the opposition.
I hope the commitment that the President has publicly announced is only the first part of a total effort to create peace and stability in the region. We all know that 'peace and stability' in that area is kind of asking Santa Claus for a shiny new bike. I just pray that the words and deeds put forth by the politicians result in solid, effective and decisive action. That would be my shiny new bike.
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