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Carl Levin’s Afghan flip-flop
Goldfarb has the goods. Four-and-a-half months ago, Chairman Carl Levin and eight other Democratic members of the Senate Armed Services Committee signed a letter to President Obama that began
We agree that the United States has a vital national interest in ensuring that Afghanistan never again becomes a safe haven from which al Qaeda can plot attacks against our homeland, and that achieving this objective requires that we put in place a well-resourced, comprehensive counterinsurgency strategy.
Of course, Levin is now one of the premier opponents of giving Gen. McChrystal the resources he’s asked for.
The letter was also signed by John McCain and seven Committee Republicans.
Cross-posted at Conventional Folly
13 Responses to “Carl Levin’s Afghan flip-flop”
Is anyone surprised?
Sorry but Afghanistan is not a national security issue. al Qaeda has moved to Pakistan, probably quite a while back. Afghanistan, the graveyard of empires. We need to get out in an orderly fashion. Now.
What we need is good strategy and the troops to do it, not Cut and Run.
There are things we would like to do and things we can actually do. If McCrystal and Petreaus are given an additional 40 thousand troops now they will simply come back in six months or a year and ask for another 50 thousand. And when that doesn't work it will be 100 thousand more. And what will it accomplish? If we keep al-Qaeda out of Afghanistan they will simply go somewhere else like Somolia and the US does not have the resources to turn every failed country where al-Qaeda might go into Vermont. At 63 I'm old enough to remember and was impacted by Vietnam and Afghanistan is looking more like Vietnam all the time.
Cut & Run, Cut & Run. What a lousy mantra. And please don't criticize the President during wartime, it's unpatriotic.
Thank you for the insights Ron. I appreciate that hard lessons learned, and I agree that U.S. cannot become nation builders.
However, we are already in Afghanistan and have been for 8 years. As such, I am equally concerned by the aftermath if we decide to tactically withdraw troops. There is little question that we have made some progress against al-Queda through our efforts in Afghanistan. Additionally, we happens to Kabul and areas where we have made some notable progress and the rather notable shift in some social norms (i.e. women actually receiving education). In some ways, my concerns is as much with the Taliban as it al-Queda.
Unfortunately, there is a lack of stability in almost every level of Afghan government. I would like to see at least one true attempt to implement a plan of coordination with tribal leaders and creation of some stable structure.
Jim Webb and Jon Kyl were on MTP last Sunday and spoke on the mess that could become Afghanistan. Webb served in Vietnam. These two have debated security issues before, I'll take a Vietnam veteran over a Republican chickenhawk any day.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032608/#33044913
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032608/#video
Talking tough is easy Leonidas when you never served in battle…
I wonder what Hope [tm] this gives the Iranians with their nuclear weapons program and geopolitical and terrorist adventurism.
Sorry, but you sound like a conservative crying about health care reform.
“But but, they want to incrementally take us to single payer socialism!!”
And just maybe 40k is exactly what they need. Last I checked, the troop requests for Iraq made by Petreaus were correct. When judging our leadership, we need to look at their actions, not the actions of others.
This is exactly why Dems poll poorly on national defense. They simply cannot be trusted. While Reps tend to be too rigid, Dems sway with the wind.
I'll take the SecDef Gates over someone that served in Nam. Or how about guys that served in Nam and are acting Generals? And please, linking to MSNBC is just as sorry as linking to FoxNews.
You guys on the right are every bit as fragmented now as you think the Democrats are. I've seen on these pages conservatives lambasting Obama for NOT getting us out of Iraq as quickly as he promised AND for getting us “mired” in Afghanistan. You criticize him for waking up in the morning. Your criticisms are hence without intellectual content.
Look at the links and listen to the Webb/Kyl debate. These two would have the same debate at BBC, FOox or al-Jazera