President Obama’s Double-minded Policy on Afghanistan

President Obama’s Double-minded Policy on Afghanistan

President Obama has spent three months making a decision that is indecisive. In the same breath he said, “…that it is in our vital national interest to send an additional 30,000 U.S. troops to Afghanistan. After 18 months, our troops will begin to come home.” This is double-minded, an unstable policy that will lead to instability at home and abroad.

This is not President Obama’s first policy on Afghanistan or even his first thorough review. In a speech on March 27, 2009, he stated, “Today, I am announcing a comprehensive, new strategy for Afghanistan and Pakistan. This marks the conclusion of a careful policy review that I ordered as soon as I took office. My Administration has heard from our military commanders and diplomats. We have consulted with the Afghan and Pakistani governments; with our partners and NATO allies; and with other donors and international organizations. And we have also worked closely with members of Congress here at home.”

The outcome of that review was the following goal: “To disrupt, dismantle, and defeat al Qaeda in Pakistan and Afghanistan, and to prevent their return to either country in the future.” He declared a simple message, “We will defeat you.”

Several months later, on June 26, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates directed General Stanley McChrystal to provide a multidisciplinary assessment of the situation in Afghanistan. McChrystal’s assessment, delivered on August 30, noted that “many indicators suggest the overall situation is deteriorating.” He requested an additional 40,000 troops to accomplish President Obama’s goal.

At that point, President Obama began a second review. Obviously, things were not going well in Afghanistan and he was cautious of committing more troops. At the end of the day, however, President Obama agreed with General McChrystal that the status quo was neither sustainable nor acceptable.

This conclusion dictated that there were really only two basic options available, a build up or a withdrawal. A build up to achieve the initial strategy of disrupting, dismantling, and defeating al Qaeda and its extremist allies. Or a withdrawal of forces, based on the belief that the initial policy was wrong or that things had changed such that withdrawal was in the best interests of the U.S.

In his speech President Obama chose to make the case for a build up. It was truly a moment in which he could have changed course and made an argument for withdrawal if he chose to. Some in Congress would have supported that decision, and in fact, many war weary Americans would have also.

Instead, President Obama reiterated the findings of his initial review, reported in March. He stated that the war was in our vital national interest and that withdrawal would “create an unacceptable risk of additional attacks on our homeland and our allies.”

President Obama said the threat is real and the goal must be accomplished, yet he immediately undercut his own arguments in two crucial ways. First, he has committed 30,000 troops, not the 40,000 that General McChrystal asked for. Does the President know better than the general how many troops are necessary in a war that must be won?

Second, he has announced to the world the specific month the withdrawal of troops will begin. What an incredible gift to our enemies, to aid them in their strategy and propaganda. What a destabilizing influence on the morale of our troops and country, to be counting down the days to withdrawal, instead of focusing on victory!

In his summary General McChrystal noted the importance of our credibility to the Afghans. He said, “A perception that our resolve is uncertain makes Afghans reluctant to align with us against the insurgents.” He also stated, “We must …prioritize resources to those areas where the population is threatened, gain the initiative from the insurgency, and signal unwavering commitment to see it through to success.”

President Obama has chosen a course of action but he has failed to signal unwavering commitment to see it through. This is a serious failure of leadership.

The President cannot have it both ways. He cannot partially build up and announce withdrawal at the same time, and maintain credibility with Afghan and NATO allies. He has given himself a little wiggle room by saying that the withdrawal will take “into account conditions on the ground.” But everyone knows the clock is running towards the July 2011 date.

President Obama inherited a complicated war that put him in a difficult position. His three month delay, follow by a double-minded decision, have now put our country and soldiers in an even more difficult position.

Richard Cash is a Republican candidate for US Congress in the Third District. A small business owner, he has a degree in Economics and Business Administration from Furman. He and his wife, Marcia, have been married 24 years, and have 8 children. He can be reached at Richard@SendRichardCash.com.

We Are All On A Ship

The Ship of State

We are all on a ship. More specifically, we are all on a ship of state called the United States of America. For simplicity’s sake, let us call it the USSA, the United States Ship of America.

This is the grandest ship ever built. Like the Titanic, it is both the most powerful and the richest, most expensive ocean liner ever put into the water. In fact, the ship is so strong and so well put together, that some people seem to believe that God Himself could not sink it.

Passengers and their Pursuits

 
There are many kinds of passengers on the USSA, and they occupy many different levels of the ship. Some are on lower decks, in rather cramped quarters, some in the middle decks with comfortable cabins, and some in the upper decks with plush surroundings. Although passengers have the freedom to  change which deck they live on, according to their means, they are still on the ship.

There are many different ways to spend your time on the USSA, and many people on other cruise ships believe it offers the ultimate in life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. It is an ocean liner that boasts every form of amusement known to man. It also contains businesses, churches, schools, clubs, athletic facilities, etc.

But the most important fact is that all the passengers are on the ship together. They may lead vastly different lives and have completely different interests. But this one commonality, being on the USSA, means that their fortunes and destinies are inseparably linked.

The Charter

Like many other modern day vessels, the USSA was created with a specific charter, in this case known as the Constitution. The charter outlines how the ship will be run, and sets forth the responsibilities of the captain, the crew, and the passengers. Many people believe that the USSA charter is the greatest sailing document ever created.

For generations the charter was instrumental, along with the captain and crew, for keeping the ship on a fairly safe course. Because the ship’s builders were also the authors of the charter, the passengers had great faith in their wisdom and ability to create a document that would serve the ship well.

During the most recent stretch of the voyage, however, the part of the crew that is tasked with safeguarding and explaining the charter has seemed intent on “legislating” from the charter according to their personal whims. Many passengers are highly uneasy with this new approach, but do not quite know what to do about it.

Pirates and Rough Seas

In any long voyage, there are bound to be some rough times, and lately, the USSA has had its share. In 2001, pirates attacked the ship, and though they were repulsed, they have not given up. Although a lot of the passengers seem to have forgotten the danger and trauma of that attack, others are more vigilant.

Shortly after the pirates attacked, the USSA endured an epic hurricane. It did a lot of damage to the ship, and in fact, proved to be the costliest natural disaster in the ship’s long history. The response to that hurricane showed some disturbing weaknesses among the crew, as well as the ship’s social fabric, but it also demonstrated the abundant generosity for which the passengers are historically known.

Just as the ship seemed to be getting back on course, the economic storm of the century hit. It had been 80 years since a storm of this magnitude had rocked the boat, and everyone experienced the anxiety of being tossed around. A few of the older passengers had lived through something like it earlier in life, but nobody was really prepared.

In the first confusing days of the storm, the captain and crew made a critical mistake. Afraid that the ship might be swamped and sunk by the monstrous waves, they decided to go full speed ahead and try to outrun the storm. They revved the engines and plowed ahead, although most of the passengers cried out that this would only increase the danger. The captain and crew replied that prudence dictated this course of action, but they were not very convincing.

 New Captain, New Course

In the midst of the storm, the usual elections for captain and crew were held and this led to a new captain. He took charge amid great fanfare, promising not only that he would change the direction of the ship, but that he could also calm the storm. Some of the passengers thought that this sounded rather messianic in nature, but the ship’s media outlets promoted the captain at every turn.

One of the captain’s first changes was to drop the use of the term “pirates”. He made it clear that he did not want to send a message or project an image that might offend people who seem somewhat sympathetic to the pirates. A lot of the passengers were puzzled by this; others, however, were too busy with their amusements to take notice.

Well, true to his word, the new captain immediately changed course. Although the storm still raged, he also insisted on going even faster in this new direction in order to outrun the storm. A good part of the crew, however, was no longer willing to go along with the demand for more speed, and they let their voices be heard. Unfortunately, they were in the minority, so the captain paid no attention.

Tea Parties

But then a strange thing happened; something no one planned for or expected. Many of the passengers began speaking up as well. In fact, some were so disgusted at the lack of common sense in the “full speed ahead” approach that they began throwing tea bags over the side, hearkening back to an ancient protest they remembered. Of course, other passengers carried on with cabin life as usual, but something was definitely afoot.

The captain and his majority crew were prepared for the minority protest of the crew, but they were completely taken aback by the passengers’ tea parties. They claimed the passengers were acting outrageously and immaturely, as if they were but children. Quiet down, stay out of the way and let us “grownups” solve the problem seemed to be their attitude. 

Ship Hall Meetings 

When the captain thought he was getting control of the situation, he decided to go for broke. He changed course again, taking the “health” of the passengers into his hands, and embarked on an uncharted course that the USSA had never taken before. He appeared to be heading directly towards the frigid waters of northern Europe, thinking that he could convince the passengers that this was the destination that they should have been heading for all along.

At that point, everything fell apart. All over the ship passengers began cornering crew members at Ship Hall Meetings and telling them that they did not want to go to Europe, and certainly not in the midst of the storm of the century. In case they needed to be reminded, the passengers let the crew members know that the ship had originally left from England and they were not interested in going back!
Just to make sure the captain and crew could not miss the point, a bunch of the passengers marched to the main deck and held a large tea party.

Well, the captain was not feeling so well anymore, and it began to show. He got the media to help him out and somehow the passengers were accused of being little more than a mindless mob. He went on the ship’s TV to make appeals, he talked to the passengers children, and he tried to make peace among the loyal crew that was beginning to grumble and complain.

All the while, the ship was still steaming full speed straight ahead. And that is when someone screamed, “Iceberg!”

 

Epilogue

The story does not have to end this way. Help elect a new captain and enough of the crew, and we can turn the ship around. Of course, you are going to have to alter your normal cabin routine if you want to get involved. But, believe it or not, activism can be a lot more rewarding than the cabin fever that comes from doing nothing. Richard Cash, the author, is a candidate for Congress in the Third District of South Carolina. For more information on his campaign to return our government to the people, go to www.SendRichardCash.com.
© 2009 Richard Cash for Congress Campaign