KP Week-End (6/28/2010): A Startling Truth
I decided to break my "vacation" to once again discuss Afghanistan. There is too much to write about and reflect upon.
I wrote about the startling development of Karzai meeting with Haqqani earlier in KP's sister site, outsider views. There was a very insightful and startling statistic that Tom Ricks of the Washington Post noted that blew me away. One Percent of the United States is in the Military, yet it is carrying 99 percent of the burden of war.
During the same Meet the Press appearance, Ricks quoted a very telling statement from Ryan Crocker, the US Ambassador to Iraq: Just because you leave a movie, it does not mean that it is over!!! The Afghan Movie will go on for a while. Although the notion of a "Stable Afghanistan" is a lofty one:
There needs to be a more creative and courageous way to figure out how to end the longest war the U.S. has been engaged in. The Armed Forces are weary, the Public is weary and the U.S. is broke. The idea of somehow borrowing money to fight wars is simply irresponsible.
We are constantly being reminded to live within our means and many of us are working dilligently (and with great difficulty) to realign our lives to adjust to the new realities. Will our political leaders have that same level of courage?
I wrote about the startling development of Karzai meeting with Haqqani earlier in KP's sister site, outsider views. There was a very insightful and startling statistic that Tom Ricks of the Washington Post noted that blew me away. One Percent of the United States is in the Military, yet it is carrying 99 percent of the burden of war.
During the same Meet the Press appearance, Ricks quoted a very telling statement from Ryan Crocker, the US Ambassador to Iraq: Just because you leave a movie, it does not mean that it is over!!! The Afghan Movie will go on for a while. Although the notion of a "Stable Afghanistan" is a lofty one:
There needs to be a more creative and courageous way to figure out how to end the longest war the U.S. has been engaged in. The Armed Forces are weary, the Public is weary and the U.S. is broke. The idea of somehow borrowing money to fight wars is simply irresponsible.
We are constantly being reminded to live within our means and many of us are working dilligently (and with great difficulty) to realign our lives to adjust to the new realities. Will our political leaders have that same level of courage?
Mike Pouraryan
