Oh the Irony of Life, Look Who's Back in Charge, General Betrayus

Thrown under the bus? You have ridiculous standards for insubordination.

the Boy King is forced to do what he should have done in the first place.

Why are you complaining at all then? You clearly thought McChrystal to be incompetent if Obama should have appointed Petraeus in the first place.

very true. but it is still a bit strange that the left in particular hated this man a couple short years ago, now not a word.....

maddad, give them a chance, it's early. Besides, inheriting two wars and a deep recession would have been pretty hard on any president. Let's see what happens.

Elaine, I love your spellings on those names!!

It is interesting that no left leaning advocate is speaking against this change in military leadership. Wonder what they are thinking?

very true. but it is still a bit strange that the left in particular hated this man a couple short years ago, now not a word.....

Maddad, I Know you are smarter than that. It's politic, my friend, Politics.Otherwise, it would be impossible for a politician to switch party after they have been criticizing the party outrageously for years, and the party welcomes him cordially. And then, the party he deserts that has been praising him now would criticize him. That's what makes politics stink and that's the beauty of it too. Get used to it rather than ruin your brain trying to understand it.

Truth be told-1349420

your right. but isn't politics as usual what keeps getting us in to these messes?

your right. but isn't politics as usual what keeps getting us in to these messes?

Yes, Indeed. Politics is an incurable cancer that can be contracted casually and genetically.
Politicians do not give a damn about voters. They turn their back to voters who support them and their ideology to switch to the very party they had brainwashed the voters against. My wonder is, when a politician changes party, do his/her ideology and position on certain issues such as abortion, imigration, energy, education, economic policy, same-sex marriage, and etc... reflect those maintained by the party he/she switches to or remain the same?
The thing is voters do not follow politcians, but politicians follow voters. And be aware that many politicians are Republican on the outside and Democrat on the inside and vise versa. You don't really know whom you vote for. That sucks

@ Judi, Jim, and Maddad

You obviously aren't listening closely enough, most of the left is against the war in Afghanistan, they just tend not to wind up on television too often. "Left" is not a synonym for "Democrat". I am personally alarmed at the professional histories of generals like Petraeus and McChrystal who manage to get these top positions. It's a little disturbing that shadowy special forces assasins are the ones with the highest levels of influence in the military.

Elaine- #3.9 I too like the shadowy special forces part, too. Politics interferes with their completion of any black op. We use them to interfere with governments of foreign nations. That is wrong. It was never right.

But using such a group to rid the world of those such as bin Laden really makes common sense.

I don't know anyone who is "for" the war so much as they differ as to how to achieve success. The deaths of our best, bravest, and smartest Americans to protect our way of life is a terrible price to pay for our success and our continued existance.

The facts suggest that right now, at least, the left wants to placate those who attacked us on 9/11 because they have forgotten that those who attacked us want our anilhilation. Nothing less will satisfy them.

So the question becomes one of where the battle should be fought, here or there. For my money, it should be held there, whereever "there" happens to be. I do not want to shoot a gun to protect myself although I will if that time comes. I want to follow my faith, and I want to live as the tenets of that faith tell me to. But if the war is to be fought here, then I will recognize that the left has opened that door and I would be hard put to forgive them. Stupidity comes in many forms, and ignorance is rampant in both major parties. It is for me and perhaps you, to see it for what it is and do what has to be done to protect ourselves.

Our government officials have done many, many stupid things out of ignorance over the years. Both parties. This may be one more stupid decision, or maybe it is not stupid. And maybe Petraes can accomplish this impossible task for us. Over there, where they live and grow. And the terrorists nest in Afganistan, and Pakistan. And we are there to destroy the nests and kill the eggs. I wish them the best of success. I want our troops to come home.

I'm just curious how the *vote* is gonna go down??? How many dems will support the President's man.

That's our problem right there. Past presidents made the wrong moves and took the wrong decisions for the sake of "Votes". And this one makes the right move and takes the right decision to the detriment of "Votes". What do we prefer, a president that spends 8 years doing wrong or one that spends 4 years doing right?
( Sorry, I think I misinterprete your opinion.)

Except for we are still waiting for this one to do something right when is that gonna happen?

Mav

If you keep seeking in your heart, you may never find anything he did right; but if you seek in your conscience and outside your social class you will see many things he did right. Good luck and peace.

They sent in the Army to get 40 guys.
Did England level Ireland to get at the IRA?
Woody should have called the Police.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0VQfR302sA0
You can find wisdom in the most unlikely places.

Yes, that's right, our problem is that we aren't killing enough civilians!

As if imitating the Wehrmacht in the Soviet Union and shooting everyone we expected to be a partisan wouldn't just make things worse.

The problem with Afghanistan is that they know we can't be there forever, everyone hates the government, the Afghan army is a sad joke, and no one wants to be taken by the Taliban at the end of war as a collaborator. We've already destroyed Al Quaeda in Afghanistan, there are at most a couple hundred in the region, most on the Pakistani side of the border, as long as we're there the country isn't going to be stable enough to exploit any of it's resources or to carry out any significant economic development, and this occupation is costing us a fortune in blood, money, and international good will.

We should withdraw ASAP under the condition that Afghanistan not be used to stage attacks against America again, even the most radical Taliban should be able to agree to that. The war just doesn't make any sense for us anymore, and it certainly doesn't make any sense for the Afghan civilian population, which is suffering the brunt of the casualties. Sure living under the Taliban will be terrible, but we can't decide for the Afghan civilian population that they have to die to defend what semblance of freedom we've given them.

Dr. Luny:

The rules of engagement are atrocious, and at the very best extremely difficult to work with. What has gone on in Afghanistan is a multilayered problem.

1. You have a tribal/clan society that does not hold much allegiance to a centralized government, no matter what you do.
2. The only sure export for that country is Opium.
3. Given the civic and governmental structure of the country there is no single go to leader. Once you leave the cities and are in the brush it is up to the various tribesmen as to whether or not you are liked.
4. We have tasked our commander and our service men and women with the responsibility of making everyone like them all of the time. As a strategic goal it is untenable, especially when loyalties there are considered to be fluid at best.

The task of destroying an opposing force is a relatively easy one; turn the military loose, pound your adversary into submission, and break his or her will to fight. The question is not that of a commander that is capable but an administration that is willing to take the heat for an escalation of force. In addition you have to remember the folks we are dealing with, while some of the country may be relatively modern again in the brush you are dealing with societies based in the 4^th century. That is not meant as an insult but as an understanding of a very real and problematic reality.

No matter how the United State and her allies react either with a clinched gauntlet or a velvet glove the truth is in the end government there is not most likely going to reflect what we consider to be government. Without a sense of a domestic national unity or pride any police force or military force will ultimately fail in Afghanistan. That said I am not willing to leave that county to its own devices and at the mercy of what I would consider to be some truly deranged folks.

I would say take the Devil Dogs of their leashes and let them do their job; the same should go for the Army, Air Force, and the squids err I men Navy Sailors. I would not say Afghanistan is a lost cause; it is a question of intestinal fortitude, and the ability to succeed in a contest of wills.

I for one am not ready to turn women and children over to the Taliban or worse because it is politically convenient to do so. Everyone knows what they sign up for, and they all know the drill. Been there done that a few times. Unfortunately I think our civilian leadership is weak in this area, from president on down. I would especially like an apology from several member of congress for the numerous stupid things that they have said to gain political points at the expense of service personnel.

He is copying what Bush did because it worked but now BO can take the credit.

Afghanistan is the longest war in US history and you're claiming that what Bush did "worked"?

I guess if you mean it "worked" for the drug smugglers and "worked" for Haliburton and it "worked " for KBR and Cheney...then yeah, you're absolutely right!

Did not say won said worked. Patraeus was constantly bashed for the surge along with Shrub. Oh but wait, lets do the same thing in Afghan now, because it worked-in someones mind. That is what I mean.

Elaine-did not see anything hate about your seed. Couple of people here seem to comprehend things out of context.

I lived in Baghdad for 5 years. When I said "it worked" Gen Pets/Bushes plan really did work but I never said WON. That place was comin unglued at one time!

Nothing is gong to "work" in Afghanistan...we need to get the hell out and let those people solve their own problems.

Maybe it works in the short term - but we can't rebuild one of the most backward nations on earth - we don't have enough troops to even begin to think about something like that!

We've been there almost 10 years and have squat to show for it. This month so far is the deadliest month of the entire war!

This is a waste of American lives & money!

The Powell Doctrine was this war's first casualty. Or, to be more precise, the Powell Doctrine was replaced, with shameful haste, by the Bush-Rumsfeld Wishful Thinking Doctrine while the air in lower Manhattan was still thick with WTC residue....

TheyreAllCrooks is only too correct. Afghanistan is an exercise in utter futility and must be abandoned.

Where's the god-damned hash?

The best hash I ever had was Afghan Black Primo. It came in one ounce bars and was kind of moist, dark brown to black on the outside and blackish-green on the inside. That stuff would kick your ass.

Wait a minute, I didn't mean any of that. I must have been repeating something I read somewhere.

I hate Obama seed??? SHEESH!

I'm generally closer to JaiAllen's view of the world than I am to my pal Elaine's, but her commentary which launched this thread is not only restrained - which I greatly appreciate - but factual. It can't be denied that MoveOn and other left-of-center groups trashed Petraeus in the not-so-distant past, and it can't be denied that McChrystal was an Obama appointee who has been jettisoned in favor of a Bush appointee.

It's equally true, however, that most mainstream Democrats did not treat Petraeus with the disrespect he received from the trash left.

Since it's not a seed... apparently so ;)

LOL if you're referring to me as the buddy, reread my comment. ;)

LOL no problemo!

Was there an article somewhere?

And please feel free to link me to Utty....his comment required deeper thought than the alleged article.

... No hate, just irony but many people are hate obsessed it would seem.

INCLUDING YOURSELF. Oh! THE IRONY.

LOL!!