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Foreign Service Officer and Former Marine Captain says he no Longer Knows Why Nation is Fighting
U.S. Official Resigns over Afghan War - CBS News (http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/10/27/politics/washingtonpost/main5424093.shtml - broken link)
Quote:
Hoh, 36, became the first U.S. official known to resign in protest over the Afghan war, which he had come to believe simply fueled the insurgency
The reaction to Hoh's letter was immediate. Senior U.S. officials, concerned that they would lose an outstanding officer and perhaps gain a prominent critic, appealed to him to stay.
He would later go on to say, "I have lost understanding of and confidence in the strategic purposes of the United States' presence in Afghanistan," he wrote Sept. 10 in a four-page letter to the department's head of personnel. "I have doubts and reservations about our current strategy and planned future strategy, but my resignation is based not upon how we are pursuing this war, but why and to what end."
Foreign Service Officer and Former Marine Captain says he no Longer Knows Why Nation is Fighting
U.S. Official Resigns over Afghan War - CBS News (http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/10/27/politics/washingtonpost/main5424093.shtml - broken link)
He would later go on to say, "I have lost understanding of and confidence in the strategic purposes of the United States' presence in Afghanistan," he wrote Sept. 10 in a four-page letter to the department's head of personnel. "I have doubts and reservations about our current strategy and planned future strategy, but my resignation is based not upon how we are pursuing this war, but why and to what end."
I think the angst 0bama stated he felt over using the term "victory" in regards to the mission and objectives for Afghanistan was the beginning of attitudes like this.
We'll have Obama supporters coming along any minute now to proclaim this is the fault of Bush, even though the letter talks about the "current" strategy, which aparantly seems to be
"Ignore its taking place, and the american public will forget about it"
I think the biggest worry from the Obama administration is this portion of the quote where they pretty much told us.
Senior U.S. officials, concerned that they would lose an outstanding officer and perhaps gain a prominent critic, appealed to him to stay.
THAT is the biggest fear of this administration which is a bit reminiscent of when the generals in Iraq made an exodus under Bush. It hurts their case and cause in a way that is hard to dismiss. Anyone remember David Hackworth?
Foreign Service Officer and Former Marine Captain says he no Longer Knows Why Nation is Fighting
U.S. Official Resigns over Afghan War - CBS News (http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/10/27/politics/washingtonpost/main5424093.shtml - broken link)
He would later go on to say, "I have lost understanding of and confidence in the strategic purposes of the United States' presence in Afghanistan," he wrote Sept. 10 in a four-page letter to the department's head of personnel. "I have doubts and reservations about our current strategy and planned future strategy, but my resignation is based not upon how we are pursuing this war, but why and to what end."
That has to be one of the most lame statements that I have seen.
1- he has reservations about..."current strategy and planned future strategy". Since future strategy has not yet been revealed, either he is a mind reader or using this to be political.
2- but he is resigning because of the "why and to what end" the war is being fought. Since he didn't resign when W was in office, I guess he is no mind reader after all, just using this for political reasons.
I think we all need to "resign" ourselves to the idea of Vietnam II, especially since Obama seems immune from criticism from the leftish voices who dominate opinion in this country. Somehow, I don't see Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert as being particularly eager to deal with Obama's poorly-conceived reprise of LBJ's foreign policy.
No, the Left is more interested in muzzlng Fox News, the sole media critic of the administration. So courageous of them. And so faithful to their oft-repeated allegiance to the First Amendment...
We're in trouble with the current "progressive" hegemony. They may well end up engineering a worse disaster than the neocons.
We'll have Obama supporters coming along any minute now to proclaim this is the fault of Bush, even though the letter talks about the "current" strategy, which aparantly seems to be
"Ignore its taking place, and the american public will forget about it"
We'll have Obama supporters coming along any minute now to proclaim this is the fault of Bush, even though the letter talks about the "current" strategy, which aparantly seems to be
"Ignore its taking place, and the american public will forget about it"
I'm sure 0bama can find a $100/lb steak dinner, fund-raiser, or golf outing to attend, or even late night talk show to preen on. While our soldiers, Marines and sailors wait for him to make a decision.
0bama: “I will never rush the solemn decision of sending you into harm’s way. I won’t risk your lives unless it is absolutely necessary.”
I don't think 0bama trusts in the judgment of his generals. He knows that he cannot trust his own judgment since he knows nothing about war fighting. So he dithers and frets, and is unable to make a decision. This is why prior executive experience is such an important quality for a president, they need to go thru that fire so they learn to trust their own judgment.
In my opinion, 0bama attempting to learn while on the job, is what we are seeing here. Its the same with the economy and unemployment, 0bama is ignoring the war, in hopes it will fix itself and he will be spared the task of making the wrong decision and possibly getting blamed for its failure.
That has to be one of the most lame statements that I have seen.
1- he has reservations about..."current strategy and planned future strategy". Since future strategy has not yet been revealed, either he is a mind reader or using this to be political.
2- but he is resigning because of the "why and to what end" the war is being fought. Since he didn't resign when W was in office, I guess he is no mind reader after all, just using this for political reasons.
What a phony.
As he went on further to say, "I realize what I'm getting into . . . what people are going to say about me," he said. "I never thought I would be doing this."
Quote:
"I recognize the career implications, but it wasn't the right thing to do," he said in an interview Friday, two days after his resignation became final.
"I'm not some peacenik, pot-smoking hippie who wants everyone to be in love," Hoh said. Although he said his time in Zabul was the "second-best job I've ever had," his dominant experience is from the Marines, where many of his closest friends still serve
When we ask our soldiers to pull 2-3 tours of 12-15 months or more, they not only come to have a good feel for their environment, but what effects they themselves have on the situation. I certainly don't know what is in this mans mind, but I don't think he is throwing away his military career just to put a stick in the eye of the current administration.
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