dropdeadpolitics

Archive for the ‘War on Terror’ Category

BAGHDAD – Iraqi coalitions and political parties jockeyed Monday for position following the country’s pivotal vote meant to usher in the next government, as the election commission reported that turnout was 62 percent — lower than a previous national vote in December 2005 but higher than in last year’s provincial ballot.

Meantime, the top U.S. military officer for Iraq, Gen. Ray Odierno, said President Barack Obama’s plan to remove combat troops from Iraq by Sept. 1 is proceeding on schedule.

He told MSNBC’s ‘Morning Joe’ that, barring a catastrophic event, he expects the U.S. will be able to reduce its forces in Iraq from 96,000 currently to 50,000 noncombat troops by late August. “We do not see a catastrophic event on the horizon right now,” he said.

Iraqis defied a wave of insurgent attacks that killed 36 people and voted in key balloting that will determine whether they can overcome deep sectarian divides that almost tore the nation apart.

The turnout is down from the previous Dec. 2005 parliamentary election turnout of 76 percent, although it’s higher than last year’s provincial elections when just over half of voters cast ballots.

The final vote count is expected within a few days, most likely on Thursday.

Even then, the outcome will likely be followed by protracted negotiations on who will make up the next government.

No one coalition is expected to win an outright majority in the 325-seat parliament, so the coalition that gets the largest number of votes will be tasked with cobbling together a government with other partners — a process that could take months.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35760288/ns/world_news-mideastn_africa/

The Iraqi election marks another successful step towards ending the war and bringing our troops home. We have been there too long, spilled too much blood and spent too much treasure to justify the initial invasion. That said now that we are there it is our responsibility to make an orderly transition and pull out in order to prevent a failed state and increased Iranian influence.

For years after 911 our foreign policy has been adrift and rudderless, lost in a sea of sand with no end in sight. The Bush administration responded to the 911 attacks by launching an invasion into Afghanistan in order to overthrow the repressive Taliban regime who harbored Osama Bin Laden and many of the Al Qaeda radicals responsible for the attack. This was widely supported by most people on both ends of the political spectrum, deemed a “just war” and an appropriate response. We had the Taliban and AQ on the run handing them swift military defeats using our modern technology and Special Forces which allowed us to rapidly traverse the mountainous terrain and put increased pressure on our enemies. We had the Taliban leader, Mullah Omar and Osama Bin Laden pinned down in Tora Bora, an intricate cave system in Afghanistan that AQ used as a stronghold. We had the opportunity to deal a decisive blow to AQ and the Taliban but the Special Forces were ordered to wait even though they had reliable intelligence that Bin Laden was only hours from capture. There are many theories on why our attacking force was ordered to stand down which I won’t get into but I mark this as the first in a long line of missteps the Bush administration made waging the so called War on Terror.

After Bin Laden and other high ranking AQ leaders escaped from our grasps during the battle of Tora Bora, our military mission in Afghanistan shifted from an invading force to that of an occupying force. This lead to an unclear strategy and one that was underfunded and undermanned.  Diverting their focus from Afghanistan, the Bush administration decided to use the state of shock many Americans were in after 911 to launch a war in Iraq that many in his administration had been planning well before 911. It was clear where our foreign policy priorities were when we sent quadruple the forces to Iraq even though the perpetrators of 911 were still in the Afghan/Pakistan border region. For years we neglected Afghanistan and more importantly Pakistan, the new home for AQ and the Taliban leadership.  While we were bogged down in Iraq AQ was regrouping and with the help of the Taliban captured large swathes of land in Pakistan. This safe haven in Pakistan allowed the Taliban to wage a brutal insurgency against our Afghan allies just over the border. It stopped our momentum, turned many of the Afghan people against us and weakened the position we gained in the initial invasion.

Eight years later and we have yet to secure Afghanistan or capture Bin Laden. Pakistan, a nuclear power has been further destabilized; they lost valuable strategic territory and endured the tragic assassination of Benazir Bhuttoa their beloved pro-Western leader. Enter President Obama and his renewed focus on the real central front of the War on Terror. We finally have a competent captain steering our foreign policy and are no longer rudderless drifting towards disaster. Our goals are defined, the resources have been allocated and the correct priorities have been restored. Obama has committed additional troops to Afghanistan in conjunction with increased diplomatic efforts and recognition of the importance Pakistan plays in this struggle. He has authorized an unprecedented amount of Predator drone attacks which has taken away the relative safety AQ enjoyed over the Pakistan border.

The ratcheted up Afghan Continue reading “Progressive Hawks, a New Breed of Democrats” »