Former Pentagon analyst and TIME cover man Chuck Spinney talks to a retired Army officer about a long e-mail from a colonel on the ground in Afghanistan:
“I talk to Soldiers and Marines of most ranks on a weekly basis, many of whom have just returned from Afghanistan. Not one says we are winning. They think Afghanistan is a waste of our
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When American troops dragged Saddam Hussein from his spider hole in Dec. 2003, the political implications seemed huge: Pundits quickly asked whether George W. Bush had just clinched reelection, whether the anti-war candidate Howard Dean was now “toast”, and whether public support for the Iraq war might surge. But in the end, Saddam’s …
It was never going to be easy for Obama to watch Robert Gates walk out of the Pentagon and back into private life. Over two and a half years, Gates has provided impenetrable political air cover for a series of extremely difficult national security decisions, from the surge in Afghanistan to repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. Gates’ …
In the ArenaPakistan
There is all sorts of premature and overripe commentary about Libya bouncing around the internet (and in print, and on tv). There is talk, but no evidence, of a long war. There is talk, but no evidence, of an ill-defined mission. For all we know, the bombardment of Libya could be over by Wednesday, with the allies settling into a n0-fly …
Like his last clandestine trip to Afghanistan in March, President Obama’s secret arrival Friday in the war-torn country is officially about one thing: Thanking U.S. troops for their service.”I would stress that the focus of our trip is really to see the troops and to see those that work at the embassy,” Gibbs told reporters on board Air …
For the war in Afghanistan, President Obama has laid out a clear mantra. “Investments will be based on performance. The era of the blank check is over,” he said late last year, upon announcing the latest Afghan strategy. He was speaking specifically about funding that went to the Afghan government. Without results, he said, no check. …
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NBC’s First Read has found a videotape of RNC Chairman Michael Steele at a Connecticut fundraiser (above). The audio’s not great but in it Steele seems to suggest that President Obama is responsible for the war in Afghanistan. “Keep in mind again, this was a war of Obama’s …
—No hard assurances yet that “top kill” will work, but man-in-charge Thad Allen sounds cautiously optimistic this latest method may work to stop the flood of BP oil into the Gulf of Mexico. For President Obama, taking heavy criticism for not being involved enough in the situation, a political disaster could be averted by a quick …
Retiring Rep. Patrick Kennedy, a Rhode Island Democrat, is clearly upset with the media’s morbid fascination with Tickle-Me-Massa. He feels that this episode is robbing newspaper inches and front-page real estate from the coverage our brave colleagues are producing out of Afghanistan. And when I say upset, I mean really, really, really, …
Meanwhile, on the other side of Capitol Hill, Dennis Kucinich introduces legislation to end the war in Afghanistan:
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In the ArenaUncategorized
It seems to me that while acres of forest have been sacrificed to detailing the Undiebomber follies, the other terrorist attack during Christmas week–the suicide bomber who took out much of a CIA station at Forward Operating Base Chapman on the Af/Pak border–was a far more significant event. Turns out he was a double agent, operating …
In the ArenaUncategorized
Eight CIA officers killed by a suicide bomber wearing an Afghan army uniform near Khost? Stunning. The CIA operators, especially those operating in the border areas, are usually, well, covert. This is an amazing breach of security…and the real concern is this one:
The use of an official army uniform could mean any one of three things:
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Congressional reaction to the 30,000-troop surge in Afganistan was as tepid as President Obama’s West Point speech. As details of the plan leaked out throughout the day — with more than 30 members traveling to the White House to be personally briefed — few spoke with passion: no one – including Obama – mentioned human rights, the …
