Change in Action: Surge 2.0

Just as Porkulus guarantees Obama will own the depression, with this action Obama takes ownership of the Good War.

unlike the former action, basso approves.

[rquoter]Obama's Afghanistan Surge Begins with a Bang
By PJ Tobia Tuesday, Feb. 17 2009 @ 11:15AM


As the 101st Airborne pulls out of central and eastern Afghanistan, the 10th Mountain Division from Ft. Drum N.Y. is pulling in.

Springtime will not be pretty in these provinces. It's typically when enemy fighters come down from the mountains, and when they do, they are in a killing mood. I'm sure the fresh U.S. troops are also anxious to get their barrels hot, but coalition soldiers will have to show restraint to avoid killing civilians. The U.N. announced today that civilian deaths spiked 40 percent last year.

Besides being deeply unethical, killing civilians hurts the mission. Afghanistan is in many ways a propaganda war aimed at the Afghan people. Killing them, even by accident, won't help win that part of the conflict.

Unfortunately, the Taliban, the Haqqani network and other insurgents don't have to be so mindful. In fact, insurgents can purposely threaten the locals in ways we never can, and use the resulting fear to their advantage. If the U.S. tried that, it would only widen the opposition.

Units of the 10th Mountain have already been trading bullets with the enemy in Logar and Wardak provinces, which ring the Afghan capital of Kabul. According to this report, the division has already been hit by roadside bombs, rocket propelled grenades and ambushes, though they've had no casualties.

It will only get harder from here.

This deployment was planned under Bush, but Obama will own it. His rhetoric about this region has always been aggressive (see Pakistan: bombing it) and he's long talked of doubling down on troop strength in Afghanistan. Now Obama's getting his wish and the wheels of war are spinning more quickly than they were just a few months ago. What happens this spring will set the direction and tone of Obama's war.[/rquoter]

 

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