On Wednesday, a Dennis Kucinich resolution to remove all troops from Afghanistan by year's end, fell on its face, 356 to 65. His losing argument is that we can't win there. "The military escalation cements the path of the United States down the road of previous occupiers that earned Afghanistan its nickname as the 'graveyard of empires."LV Congressman Charlie Dent participated in the three-hour debate, and this is his speech from the House floor.
“There is clear and present danger in removing our men and women from the field while they are engaged in the first major assault of President Obama’s re-affirmed counter-insurgency strategy in Afghanistan. But here’s another danger: Damaging the morale of the troops who sacrifice their safety and wellbeing to fight to protect our homeland and our freedoms by not providing them with the support and the resources they need to complete their mission.”
“This is a dangerous business, moving troops out of a country. I sat with Secretary Gates on more than one occasion over the years talking about withdrawing troops, in this case from Iraq, and how complex a situation this is and how dangerous it is and the logistical realities of moving this many people safely.
“But don't take my word for it. I think we should listen to the words of the Commander in Chief, President Barack Obama, who on December 1 in his address to the nation, said, ‘I am convinced that our security is at stake in Afghanistan and Pakistan. This is the epicenter of violent extremism practiced by al Qaeda. It is from here we were attacked on 9/11 and it's from here that new attacks are being plotted as I speak . . . This is no idle danger, no hypothetical threat. In the last few months alone we apprehended those within our borders who were sent here to commit new acts of terror and this danger will only grow if the region slides backwards and al Qaeda can operate with impunity. We must keep pressure on al Qaeda.’ Again, that was President Obama."
“Furthermore, nearly one year ago, the President stated the following: ‘If the Afghan government falls to the Taliban or allows al Qaeda to go unchallenged that country will be a base for terrorists who want to kill as many of our people as they possibly can.’ Additionally, Secretary Gates, our very fine Secretary of Defense, said on February 5 of this year, ‘This is a critical moment in Afghanistan.’
“I'm confident we can achieve our objectives if we continue to muster the resolve to continue this mission. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on September 23 said, ‘Some people say al Qaeda is no longer Afghanistan. If Afghanistan were taken over by the Taliban, I can't tell you how fast al Qaeda would be back in Afghanistan.’
“I also want to mention what General (David) Petraeus has said. . . “It was in Kandahar that 9/11 attacks were planned, it is important to recall the seriousness of the mission and why it is that we are in Afghanistan in the first place and why we are still there after years of hard work and sacrifices have passed.’ Again, I strongly urge we defeat this resolution. We owe it to our troops who are watching this debate as we speak.”
By the middle of the Summer, we will have 100,000 troops in Afghanistan.
24 comments:
Nice speech the Republican leadership gave Charlie to read. I am sure he did a good job of giving the speech.
3AM Troll,
We're sick of your vicious falsehoods. Everyone knows that Charlie is a horrible speaker. It's scurrilous of you to say otherwise.
100,000 Americans in Afghanistan.
"Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it."
We need to support our troops, we need to finish this in some capacity. Our men and women in uniform are having a hard time of it.
Nice pic, from an 80's-90's issue of National Geographic. Nat. Geo actually went back and found the girl in that pic...20 years later. Life in Afghanastan is rough and it showed on her face. We are fortunate to have what we have in this country.
I have a cousin and a friend over there and nothing would be better for their morale than to bring them home. Who is paying for this war?
It's not a fair war when innocent American men and women risk their lives and those of us at home don't even pay for the war, experience any shortages or sacrifices...it used to be watched on TV as though it were a video game and now it's not even covered anymore. It's become accepted like a permanent condition we'll all have to live with and pay for (since insurance won't cover it) like diabetes. Since Bush extended the age limits to serve, I look forward to contributing to Dent's plane fare to go over to Afghanistan and put his life on the line...and while we're at it, how about his family be forced to have the same private healthcare all his constituents have instead of the govt. public option he has now that he's so comfortable with. Despicable.
I wonder if Representative Dent would recommend a Sony or a Panasonic television these days?
I have a cousin and a friend over there and nothing would be better for their morale than to bring them home. Who is paying for this war?
Goddamned excellent point. I laugh at these career politicians and their jingoistic bullshit.
8:27 - it used to be that we watched in on TV and saw the carnage. Now even the "embedded reporters" are not allowed to show what it's really like. Hell, Bush wouldn't even allow flag draped coffins to be shown.
C, I'll have to go back and look for that picture. I always thought that this was the most beautiful woman I ever saw. Those eyes!
I wonder why Charlie Dent is such a cowardly ignoramus?
All these attacks against Charlie Dent for agreeing with the President's strategy on Afhanistan. Every one of you no doubt voted for Obama.
I agree, her eyes are beautiful, but they tell a story of the unspeakable horror that she underwent while under Soviet occupation. I remember the Nat. Geo article vividly.
I feel for our troops serving in the moonscape known as Afghanastan. We need to support them in any way possible. If you can, send a goodie box. It costs less than 20 bucks and makes a huge difference for our men and women.
If we didn’t try to dominate the Mid-East, we would not face many terror threats. We get what we deserve. Would we like it if outsiders tried to influence our leaders, and our selection of leaders?
We need to focus on defense. Defense, not dominating the rest of the world. We don’t need a large military. We don’t need to be in Iraq, and maybe not Afghanistan, and we don’t need legacy bases all over the world.
Here's a better idea: Cut “defense” spending, it is useless to the US, and invest it in ... oh, I don't know, education, public health, paying down the deficit.
Just sayin'.
Publius
Here's a link to the follow-up story about that girl and it shows before & after shots of her.
Thnaks for that link. Her eyes still burn right through me.
Bernie, I did not vote Obama, he had empire written all over him. It didn't take much to see through his rhetoric and even less to see where his cash was coming from. And, he did speak openly about escalating the war in Afghanistan but the "left" ignored that part. Then they complain. It's becoming traditional.
"In an unbelievable twist of fate, the Democrat Congress is drowning in their own political backwash. They followed their UTOPIAN MIRAGE deep into the desert...and there they sit, arguing about how to save themselves."
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Obama has been president since January of 2009. It is now March of 2010.
The Afghanistan War is very much Obama's War.
As it has been since he assumed the position of Commander-In-Chief.
As for the woman's eyes, they are beautiful, but for me have always been primarily synonymous with a deep and startled fear, and perhaps, indictment. She is, after all, a very poor woman in a worn-torn country with a foreign man sticking a big expensive camera in her face, and in a culture where women can be killed for even speaking to a man their not married to. I am grateful for the photographer's work, because it tells and important story, but have always felt guilty somehow when I look at it. Her eyes are riveting and seem the eyes of someone moment to moment at wits end, doing what she must to survive, whether it's collecting water, avoiding gunshots, or making sure her wrists don't show below the cuffs of her clothing.
On the MSNBC I heard General Gates announce the drawback date in Afghanistan will be no later than July 11, 2001, possibly sooner, if things go well between now and then. It will be such a relief to finally end these wars.
What about the 4 letter word: MATH. Bernie you are a hypocrite.
This war is 100% funded by debt. You only care about debt when?
Dent got to go.
100,000 in Afghanistan. Yeah. History demonstrates that this should end very well. It's gone so well already. And please remind me what winning in Afghanistan is going to look like. And no, I did not vote for this embarrassing failure of a president. Nor did I vote for the imbecile who lamely opposed him. George Will and many conservatives, as well as the reliable left have called for our withdrawal. I want fundamentalist Islamic murderers dead like most people who aren't afraid to admit it. But there's nothing to win in Afghanistan. It really is starting to take on that Viet Nam flavor. Although I readily admit nobody's forcing these kids to join at this point. I guess that means we're good to go for a while. Charlie's certainly made this calculation. God please help us.
Good points. The US has nothing to win. In the modern age all we can do is what we did after 911. If the Taliban return we blow the shit out of them and try to kill as many as possible. We let the Afghans know that we are not the Red Cross we are a nation that is at war with terrorists and if they allow terrorists to run their country it will rain death. Amen, end of story. Bleeding our military for some non existent holy goal is a poor excuse of foreign policy. In deference to Obama, Bush and his clueless clusterfucks got us into this Middle East mess but it is time to develop realistic foreign policy in both Iraq and Afghanistan. If the Chicken Hawks object create a voluntary mercenary army and go knock yourself out. The last time I checked, in American civilians not generals determine foreign policy.
Veritas
The future of politics in Northampton County belong to new exciting guys like Callahan and Barron. Not to the old pol's of old time politics like Anlge and Seyfried.
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