[big campaign] Re: Classified McChrystal Report: 500,000 Troops Will Be Required Over Five Years in Afghanistan

From:ryaneanderson@gmail.com To: bigcampaign@googlegroups.com Date: 2009-09-24 18:37 Subject: [big campaign] Re: Classified McChrystal Report: 500,000 Troops Will Be Required Over Five Years in Afghanistan

Also, here's the video for anyone interested: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UWX794aJ_y8 On Thu, Sep 24, 2009 at 11:34 AM, ryaneanderson <ryaneanderson@gmail.com>wrote: > > http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tom-andrews/classified-mcchrystal-rep_b_298528.html > > Classified McChrystal Report: 500,000 Troops Will Be Required Over Five > Years in Afghanistan<http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tom-andrews/classified-mcchrystal-rep_b_298528.html> > > Tom Andrews > > September 24, 2009 > > * * > > Embedded in General Stanley McChrystal’s classified assessment of the war > in Afghanistan is his conclusion that a successful counterinsurgency > strategy will require 500,000 troops over five years. > > > > This bombshell was dropped by NBC reporter Andrea Mitchell on MSNBC’s *Morning > Joe* on Wednesday: > > > > “The numbers are really pretty horrifying. What they say, embedded in this > report by McChrystal, is they would need 500,000 troops – boots on the > ground – and five years to do the job. No one expects that the Afghan Army > could step up to that. Are we gonna put even half that of U.S. troops there, > and NATO forces? No way.” [*Morning Joe*, September 23, 2000] > > > > Mitchell got the figure from an independent source. It was not revealed in > the redacted version of the once classified report released by the Pentagon > earlier this week. McChrystal has warned the administration that without an > infusion of more troops the eight-year war in Afghanistan “will likely > result in failure”. > > > > There are perhaps only two people in America who think that this level of > commitment is sustainable by the United States and its allies and they left > office last January. > > > > Thankfully, President Obama is re-thinking his Afghanistan strategy from > top to bottom in light of McChrystal’s report. In addition to the > impossibility of sustaining the level of commitment this doomed-to-fail > strategy would require are these stubborn facts: > > > > · 2009 is already the deadliest year for U.S. forces since the war > began eight years ago. Fifty-one of the seven hundred and thirty eight U.S. > soldiers who have lost their lives in Afghanistan were killed last month > alone. > > · The national Afghanistan election that Ambassador Karl > Eikenberry hoped would lead to a “renewal of trust of the Afghan people for > their government” was a disaster and has had the opposite effect. The > European Union election monitor has found that over 1 million votes for > President Karzai, one third of his total, may be fraudulent. General > McChrystal himself describes the Afghanistan government as “riddled with > corruption”. A government already mired in allegations of widespread fraud > and corruption, now facing serious charges and compelling evidence that it > has attempted to steal the national election, has no hope of regaining the > support of the people of Afghanistan. > > · A February 2009 ABC/BBC/ARD poll found that only 18 percent of > Afghans support increasing the number of U.S. troops in their country. This > should come as no surprise. Historically, Afghans have always forcefully > resisted the presence of foreign military forces, be they British, Soviet or > American. > > · The presence of foreign forces strengthens the hand of Taliban > recruiters. An independent analysis early this year by the Carnegie > Institute concluded that the presence of foreign troops is probably the > single most important factor in the resurgence of the Taliban. > > > > Andrea Mitchell hit the nail on the head after revealing that 500,000 > troops would be required over five years on MSNBC: > > > > *“Would YOU like a president who doesn’t shift strategy when you get that > kind of report?”* > > > > Right question. And the answer is: *NO!* > > > > Congress should immediately convene hearings to discuss alternatives to > General McChrystal’s proposal for such a massive escalation of the war in > Afghanistan. It is time for the administration and Congress to demilitarize > U.S. policy in Afghanistan and strike out in a new, sustainable, direction. > > --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the "big campaign" group. To post to this group, send to bigcampaign@googlegroups.com To unsubscribe, send email to bigcampaign-unsubscribe@googlegroups.com E-mail dubois.sara@gmail.com with questions or concerns This is a list of individuals. It is not affiliated with any group or organization. -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---