Obama ignores AfghanistanFollow

The health of Americans is a much more pressing issue than a lil ole country on the other side of the world. Yes?

How many times did Bush talk to the general? The blog you linked didn't say. And about what did they speak? Are there communications going back and forth besides video conferencing? Again, nothing mentioned. I find it very likely that this is presented from a one-sided view... as John Bolton, the abrasive and undiplomatic neo-conservative of a former UN rep, is one of the main folks quoted.

I also fail to see where it says Obama could care less about the Middle East.

Funny, I think Varus is making stuff up again! :-P

Could or could not?

Edited, Sep 28th 2009 7:26am by KTurner

He's increased the number of troops there, reviewed the strategy, and pressured leaders of other NATO countries involved in the operation to increase their troop numbers too.

What more is he supposed to do? Fly a fighter plane and drop some bombs himself?

Increased troop levels from 36k to their current levels of around 60k between the Operation Enduring Freedom forces and US involvement in the international security forces.

Next question?

They let Bush fly a fighter plane. But they only gave him one bullet.

I'd imagine that there has been lots of communication and that the general was only referring to physically speaking to Obama. /shrug, people only have so much time, and the generals are responsible for actually running, things, I'm sure the feedback paths are still in place and working fine.

Also what everyone else said while I left my edit window open when a colleague came over to discuss the weather.

Edited, Sep 28th 2009 9:37am by Xsarus

So we're agreed that Obama hasn't ignored Afghanistan. Thanks.

He has increased them. By something like 22-25k. I can't speak for whether they're part of OEF or if they're injected into the NATO forces but they are US soldiers in Afghanistan.

Okay, so instead of denying the truth of whatever assertion is going on here, I'm going to pretentdthat varus has something salient.



Okay wait a ******* minute here.

The lives on non-american people are more important than the lives of US citizens so long as we're killing them, but the lives of non-american people are not as important as citizens when we're trying to heal them. Disregard for the moment that the latter isn't actually what anyone is trying to do, and that I'm characterizing my own position in its weakest formulation purely to make a point.

More pointedly, I can say that apparently the lives of soldiers fighting an optional war, and the lives of the Afghan people are apparently a higher priority than American citizens.

And liberals are the ones with ****** up priorities?

In what world is fighting an optional and aggressive war against a vague concept like "terrorism" that can never be won, and will never end so long as there are people, a higher priority than the lives of your your own citizens?

Oh, I see now. You're operating under a delusional @#%^ing premise.

***

Besides that

Comparing in terms of harm to human life, a 9/11 is absolutely nothing compared to even a small flaw in a system that's entire purpose is the correcting of harm to human live, and which wields a pernicious influence over anyone who gets hurt or sick in this country, ever. The difference in importance between a persistent problem for the entity of society (fixing people), and a fad political movement (the war on terror) is such that the former dwarfs the latter in any reasonable appraisal of utility. The latter is, perhaps, more urgent than the former, but that's not to be confused for weight.

Breakfast is much more urgent for me than getting into a really nice graduate program, but only a ******* idiot would think that breakfast was more important to my long-term flourishing than a good education.

Edited, Sep 28th 2009 12:15pm by Pensive

The one who only got in by Bush using a recess appointment and who lost the job the moment his recess appointment ran out because he couldn't get Senate confirmation?

Yeah, I wonder if he has a chip on his shoulder and an unbiased view...