Legal Commentary

9 Soldiers Killed in Afghanistan

By Jeralyn

Nine U.S. soldiers were killed in Afghanistan today, more than any number since 2005. As Big Tent Democrat noted earlier, President Bush is now suggesting some troops may begin pulling out of Iraq in the coming months.

Pulling out for where? Home? Not so fast. We may just be trading one war for another.

Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, warned during a visit to Kabul last week that there are more foreign fighters, including al-Qaeda members, in Pakistan's tribal areas, militants who cross the border and launch attacks against U.S. and Afghan troops.

Mullen has said he hopes improved security in Iraq will allow troops to be shifted this year from Iraq to Afghanistan, where violence is rising.

One of the things that concerns me about Sen. Barack Obama is his many references to the need to step up the fight in Afghanistan. [More...]

One example from Obama's prepared speech in June:

Afghanistan is sliding toward chaos, and risks turning into a narco-terrorist state....We need more resources in Afghanistan. I have been arguing for this since 2002, when I said that we should finish the fight against al Qaeda and the Taliban instead of going into Iraq. I have called for at least two additional combat brigades to support our efforts there. I have also called for at least $1 billion in non-military assistance each year.

Today Obama proposed sending 10,000 more U.S. troops to Afghanistan. In an op-ed in the New York Times, he writes:

“We need more troops, more helicopters, better intelligence-gathering and more nonmilitary assistance to accomplish the mission there.”

I'm not interested in swapping one war for another. How do you feel about it?

Full post as published by TalkLeft on July 14, 2008 (boomark / email).