A huge cache of secret US military files today provides a devastating portrait of the failing war in Afghanistan, revealing how coalition forces have killed hundreds of civilians in unreported incidents, Taliban attacks have soared and Nato commanders fear neighbouring Pakistan and Iran are fuelling the insurgency.
The disclosures come from more than 90,000 records of incidents and intelligence reports about the conflict obtained by the whistleblowers' website Wikileaks in one of the biggest leaks in US military history. The files, which were made available to the Guardian, the New York Times and the German weekly Der Spiegel, give a blow-by-blow account of the fighting over the last six years, which has so far cost the lives of more than 320 British and more than 1,000 US troops.
Their publication comes amid mounting concern that Barack Obama's "surge" strategy is failing and as coalition troops hunt for two US naval personnel captured by the Taliban south of Kabul on Friday.
Obama continues this war and gets left the blame for its ultimate failure.
Obama ends the war and gets labeled a "Muslim sympathizer" and becomes vilified by the right wing in such a way that he simply cannot recover.
No matter how bad your problems are they undoubtedly pale in comparison to our President's.
I think your analysis is correct. Unless something momentous happens, he is stuck with this no-win baby until Nov 2012. The Muslim sympathizer angle is the greater risk. If he wins a second term, then I think he'll end it.
ReplyDeletei wish somebody would have done some major whistle blowing during the bush administration
ReplyDeleteObama screwed up. He should have put all the blame on Bush, said that Bush screwed up Afghanistan, and pulled our troops out.
ReplyDeleteWith the escalation, it has become his war. Now he is the one who has fucked up!
I hope they will be able to learn more about what happened to Pat Tillman.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I really hate the war and wish it would end, and am all for knowing all of this . I kind of want to know how they got all these documents, and whose going to d.i.e for it.
ReplyDeleteBush committed the worst war atrocity of all time when he leveled Falujah, Iraq in revenge for the killing of 4 Blackwater mercenaries who had likely themselves committed war crimes. Was Petraus involved with this?
ReplyDeletehttp://tinyurl.com/28njtxy
The war is not being reported accurately. The embedded reporters like Lara Logan screen the truth for their own selfish motivations. This is the sad truth - there is no "journalism" and we cannot trust any media. Look at the meme of the "liberal media" - if the media was so liberal how did Bush steal an election? How was the country lied into war?
ReplyDeleteAnd, to be Alaska-specific, how was Palin allowed to be introduced to the national stage as the VP nominee, with her pregnant, unwed daughter and the rumors of the faked pregnancy?