Friday - July 03, 2009

After nearly six months in office, some of the gloss is starting to wear off the President’s image .

Thanks to The Telegraph who with their usual carelessness has omitted the editorial on line that really should be here, I am posting a very interesting
piece by one of their reporters on this subject.

Judging by the cartoon, it looks like Garland who was never a fan of Bush, but who I think loves The One, sees Obama as leader who might show the way forward.  At least on this issue.

The editorial by Mr. Coughlin contains this line;” Even some of his most dedicated supporters have been disappointed by the concessions he has made to the Democrat-controlled Congress.”

While listening to the radio the other night, I heard some stupid loud mouthed jerk who should know better, make the claim that the use of The Bomb on Japan was an act of “Criminality and Terrorism.” “A war crime” she said.
That has absolutely NOTHING at all to do with this post.  I’m just sharing it because I’m still pissed off even after 24 or more hours. Frustrating cause I couldn’t punch her and couldn’t toss the radio. So I turned it off but stayed PO’d.  I HATE hearing that sort of bilge, and especially coming from someone who I mistook to be reasonably conservative. 

I don’t quite understand how when typing in their own bloody headline, the Telegraph search which is powered by Google, doesn’t recognize the headline. I see something that says there is no such document found which is odd coz I’m looking at the hard copy.

OK , so here.  This is a good read. 

Afghanistan ‘surge’ will test Obama’s military muscle
President Obama hopes Operation Khanjar will finish off the job in Afghanistan that under-funded British forces have failed to do.

By Con Coughlin

It’s the moment we’ve all been waiting for: the launch of the “surge” against the Taliban in Afghanistan. And to judge by the enormous firepower Nato commanders have deployed for Operation Khanjar, or “sword strike”, this time the Americans mean business.

Four thousand US marines, supported by a further 650 Afghan troops and supplied with the best equipment the American military can provide, have moved into the lower Helmand river valley with the intention of eradicating, once and for all, the threat posed by the Taliban.

This is, of course, precisely what the British have been trying to achieve for three years. But a lack of sufficient troops and suitable equipment, such as helicopters, or vehicles that offer effective protection against roadside bombs, has severely hampered the mission. Despite engaging in some of the fiercest hand-to-hand combat since the Second World War, and taking heavy casualties in the process, the Taliban remain as much a threat to the future stability of Afghanistan as they did when the British first deployed in force in the summer
of 2006.

If British commanders had got their way, an extra 2,500 of our troops would have been sent to Afghanistan this summer to do precisely what the Americans are now doing – taking the fight into the heartland of the insurgency. But Gordon Brown, who has consistently failed to provide effective leadership on this issue, refused the request on grounds of cost. As a consequence, British forces find themselves in the humiliating position of having to watch as the Americans do their job for them.

From now on, then, we should regard Afghanistan as Mr Obama’s war, for the US offensive represents the American President’s first military initiative since entering the White House. Its outcome will have a significant impact on how his presidency is perceived by friends and foes alike.

During last year’s election campaign, Mr Obama made much of the fact that Afghanistan, not Iraq, should be the main focus of Washington’s campaign against Islamist-inspired terrorism – or the War on Terror, as it was known to the Bush administration. He promised to reallocate resources from Iraq, and committed himself “to finishing the fight against al-Qaeda and the Taliban”.

And, since coming to power, Mr Obama has been as good as his word. An extra 17,000 US troops have been deployed to support a “mini-surge” similar to the one that finally subdued the Iraq insurgency in the summer of 2007.

The President has also taken the drastic step of replacing General David McKiernan, the commander of Nato forces, with Lt Gen Stanley McChrystal, a counter-insurgency specialist who commanded the special forces unit responsible for tracking down Saddam Hussein.

Having made military success against the Taliban and al-Qaeda one of his foreign policy priorities, Mr Obama is well aware that he will be judged by the American military’s ability to deliver tangible results. The offensive certainly comes at an important moment for him: after nearly six months in office, some of the gloss is starting to wear off the President’s image as a man who can revolutionise American politics.

HERE FOR THE REST OF THE EDITORIAL

Posted by peiper     on 07/03/2009 at 10:05 AM   
Filed Under: • Terrorists • War On Terror •  
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