Joe Biden introduces Socratic questioning into the Situation Room
Joe Biden had a question.
During a long Sunday meeting with President Obama and top national-security advisers on Sept. 13, the VP interjected,
“Can I just clarify a factual point? How much will we spend this year on Afghanistan?”
Someone provided the figure: $65 billion.
“And how much will we spend on Pakistan?” Another figure was supplied: $2.25 billion.
“Well, by my calculations that’s a 30-to-1 ratio in favour of Afghanistan. So I have a question. Al Qaeda is almost all in Pakistan, and Pakistan has nuclear weapons. And yet for every dollar we’re spending in Pakistan, we’re spending $30 in Afghanistan. Does that make strategic sense?”
The White House Situation Room fell silent. But the questions had their desired effect: those gathered began putting more thought into Pakistan as the key theatre in the region.
This story was reported by Newsweek and the Economist
To be read with this column by ERIC MARGOLIS published in the Toronto Sun
http://www.torontosun.com/comment/columnists/eric_margolis/2009/10/11/11369636-sun.html
and
http://www.commondreams.org/view/2009/10/11-4#comments
Some brief notes and inconvenient truths to stir things up a bit. Quite rare in mainstream English speaking media:
Truth is war’s first casualty. The Afghan war’s biggest untruth is, “we’ve got to fight terrorists over there so we don’t have to fight them at home.”
Many North Americans still buy this lie because they believe the 9/11 attacks came directly from the Afghanistan-based al-Qaida and Taliban movements.
False. The 9/11 attacks were planned in Germany and Spain, and conducted mainly by U.S.-based Saudis to punish America for supporting Israel.
Taliban, a militant religious, anti-Communist movement of Pashtun tribesmen, was totally surprised by 9/11. Taliban received U.S. aid until May, 2001.Al-Qaida only numbered 300 members. Most have been killed. A handful escaped to Pakistan. Only a few remain in Afghanistan. Yet President Barack Obama insists 68,000 or more U.S. troops must stay in Afghanistan to fight al-Qaida and prevent extremists from re-acquiring “terrorist training camps.”Today, half of Afghanistan is under Taliban control. Anti-American militants could more easily use Somalia, Indonesia, Bangladesh, North and West Africa, or Sudan. They don’t need remote Afghanistan.The 9/11 attacks were planned in apartments, not camps.However backwards and oafish those Pashtun tribesmen, they have no desire or interest in attacking America.Taliban are the sons of the U.S.-backed mujahidin who defeated the Soviets in the 1980s. As I have been saying since 9/11, Taliban never was America’s enemy. Instead of invading Afghanistan in 2001, the U.S. should have paid Taliban to uproot al-Qaida.We are not changing the way Afghans treat their women by waging war on them, or bring democracy through rigged elections.
Taliban, a militant religious, anti-Communist movement of Pashtun tribesmen, was totally surprised by 9/11. Taliban received U.S. aid until May, 2001.
Al-Qaida only numbered 300 members. Most have been killed. A handful escaped to Pakistan. Only a few remain in Afghanistan. Yet President Barack Obama insists 68,000 or more U.S. troops must stay in Afghanistan to fight al-Qaida and prevent extremists from re-acquiring “terrorist training camps.”
Today, half of Afghanistan is under Taliban control. Anti-American militants could more easily use Somalia, Indonesia, Bangladesh, North and West Africa, or Sudan. They don’t need remote Afghanistan.
The 9/11 attacks were planned in apartments, not camps.
However backwards and oafish those Pashtun tribesmen, they have no desire or interest in attacking America.
Taliban are the sons of the U.S.-backed mujahidin who defeated the Soviets in the 1980s. As I have been saying since 9/11, Taliban never was America’s enemy. Instead of invading Afghanistan in 2001, the U.S. should have paid Taliban to uproot al-Qaida.
Unfortunately we are not changing the way Afghans treat their women by waging war on them, or bring democracy through rigged elections.
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nice post. thanks.