Blue Mass Group

Reality-based commentary on politics.

Iraq + Afghanistan: Obama’s quagmire?

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The nation is understandably focused on the economic collapse. Obama is trying to regain America’s international credibility with his trips to Russia and the Muslim world. But the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan (and the proxy action in Pakistan) pose serious threats to Obama’s success. What are we fighting for? A simple question that’s hard to answer. The Phoenix editorial http://tinyurl.com/mcunxa this week took the death of Robert McNamara as a jumping off point to suggest that the Obama administration could be heading for trouble.

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  1. In case you missed the news, U.S. forces turned over security for Iraqi cities to the Iraqis. And also from the same article:

    The withdrawal, required under a U.S.-Iraqi security pact, marks the first major step toward withdrawing all American forces from the country by Dec. 31, 2011. Obama has said all combat troops will be gone by the end of August 2010.

    Doesn’t sound like a recipe for quagmire to me.

    • Maybe so, ShillelaghLaw, but I’m not sure I see a plan here. Is there sufficient accord in Iraq to avoid sectarian violence once the U.S. is out? Is everyone happy with how much territory the Kurds control and don’t control? Have the Sunnis stopped feeling underrepresented?

      <

      p>What concerns me is in Iraq is the lack of political progress. What concerns me is Afghanistan is well, uh, almost everything. We’re propping a corrupt, not very effective government that faces a disciplined and passionate foe.

  2. I appreciate the fact that I can vote yes and no in this poll.

    <

    p>Do I get to point to it six months down the line, screaming “see?  I was right!”?

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