Afghanistan

So he is now tying himself to the regular GOP stance on the wars also. Thanks for telling us the truth for once McBush!

(h/t Aravosis)

As our troops are bogged down and getting killed in Iraq. And as our administration prepares for a war with Iran. Wouldn't it be nice if we actually went after the people who caused 9/11? Instead Bush has handed them a gift for killing all those people.

Thursday night Obama brought up this story:

"You know, I've heard from an Army captain who was the head of a rifle platoon -- supposed to have 39 men in a rifle platoon," he said. "Ended up being sent to Afghanistan with 24 because 15 of those soldiers had been sent to Iraq. And as a consequence, they didn't have enough ammunition, they didn't have enough humvees. They were actually capturing Taliban weapons, because it was easier to get Taliban weapons than it was for them to get properly equipped by our current commander in chief."

And the wingnuts immediately called him out as a liar. Now ABC's Jake Tapper has confirmed the story with the actual Army captain:

I called the Obama campaign this morning to chat about this story, and was put in touch with the Army captain in question.

He told me his story, which I found quite credible, though for obvious reasons he asked that I not mention his name or certain identifying information.

So the wingnuts (the people who play cheerleader for wars, yet are to scared to go fight in them), basically have called this Army captain a liar. But they aren't alone in their blasphemy of a U.S. soldier. The Pentagon also seems to be chiming in on the smear now. With treatment like this I am surprised more people aren't rushing to enlist.

He talks about how great democracy is in the Middle East. I don't find news like this very great:

A young man, a student of journalism, is sentenced to death by an Islamic court for downloading a report from the internet. The sentence is then upheld by the country's rulers. This is Afghanistan – not in Taliban times but six years after "liberation" and under the democratic rule of the West's ally Hamid Karzai.

The fate of Sayed Pervez Kambaksh has led to domestic and international protests, and deepening concern about erosion of civil liberties in Afghanistan. He was accused of blasphemy after he downloaded a report from a Farsi website which stated that Muslim fundamentalists who claimed the Koran justified the oppression of women had misrepresented the views of the prophet Mohamed.

This is the freedom he has been pushing? If that's freedom I would sure hate to see tyranny.

In the war George Bush forgot about:

Gunmen kidnapped a burqa-clad American aid worker and her driver while they were traveling through southern Afghanistan early Saturday, a provincial governor said.

The two were stopped by gunmen outside the southern Afghan city of Kandahar, said Gov. Asadullah Khalid. He blamed the kidnappings on the "enemy of Islam and the enemy of Afghanistan."

Speaking of Afghanistan, Martha Raddatz of ABC News was on Bill Maher last night. She just returned from Afghanistan yesterday and was talking about how bad it is getting there. Something else interesting she was saying is how the NATO troops are very limited on where they can go in the country. While Republicans are out there blasting NATO and accusing them of incompetence, it seems that they are having the same problems that we did "pre-surge" in Iraq - being limited by the local government.

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Yesterday our defense secretary, Robert Gates, blamed NATO for the problems in Afghanistan. Needless to say they didn't take to kindly to that criticism and now Gates is trying to save face:

Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Thursday that sending U.S. Marines to Afghanistan will keep pressure on the Taliban and doesn't "reflect dissatisfaction" with NATO countries' performance.

He was trying to smooth over comments a day earlier that sparked an international furor. The Los Angeles Times reported Wednesday that Gates said U.S. forces in eastern Afghanistan are doing a terrific job but that he is concerned that NATO allies are not well-trained in counterinsurgency operations.

"Allied forces ... have stepped up to the plate and are playing a significant and powerful role in Afghanistan," Gates told a Defense Department news conference, which officials said had purposely been rescheduled for earlier in the day Thursday to meet European news deadlines.

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The Taliban has overrun a military fort and possibly captured 20 paramilitaries.

That's who Robert Gates is blaming for the problems in Afghanistan. Funny, which country decided to abandon Afghanistan to go fight a war of choice in Iraq?

They are worried about the upcoming spring offensive by the Taliban. I wonder why we only fight when they fight. Shouldn't we make a year round focus on getting those who attack us, instead of an "on demand" tactic?

Because Iran is the big threat:

An explosion and several rounds of gunfire went off Monday at a luxury hotel frequented by foreigners, and a Taliban spokesman said a suicide bomber and three militants with grenades and guns were responsible for the attack.

An American who was exercising in the hotel gym said she heard gunfire after the explosion, and saw a body and pools of blood in the lobby area and bullet marks in the gym area. She asked not to be identified for her safety.

So as we look for other wars, the enemy of the original war continues to cause their carnage and grow. Has Bush been tested for A.D.D.?

Today they killed 10 police officers in Afghanistan. Don't worry though. They don't deserve our attention, only Iran gets that.

This time in Afghanistan and to the tune of 3,000 Marines.

This White House isn't even human:

Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA) revealed on Friday afternoon that the White House and Pentagon were holding up a House Oversight and Government Reform Committee investigation into the friendly fire death of former professional football player and Army Corporal Patrick Tillman.

"[T]he Committee wrote to White House Counsel Fred Fielding seeking 'all documents received or generated by any official in the Executive Office of the President' relating to Corporal Tillman's death," noted a press release from the Committee.

But the White House has apparently again invoked its executive privilege to hold up the documents sought by Waxman and Ranking Minority member Tom Davis (R-VA).

"The White House Counsel's office responded that it would not provide the Committee with documents that 'implicate Executive Branch confidentiality interests' and produced only two communications with the officials in the Defense Department, one of which was a package of news clippings," the Committe noted. "The response of the Defense Department to the Committee's inquiry was also deficient."

This is sick. They not only lied about his death, but are now trying to hide the reasons for the lie. This further proves that Bush has no respect for our troops, their lives or their families.

This is becoming an all to common occurrence:

U.S.-led coalition jets bombed a compound suspected of housing al-Qaida militants in eastern Afghanistan, killing seven boys and several insurgents, officials said Monday.

Clashes in the south killed a Dutch soldier, while dozens of suspected insurgents were left dead, officials said.

In the capital, police said they have detained a suspect in connection with the deadly bus bombing that killed at least 35 people, most of them police trainers.

Yet when Clinton went after Osama back in 98, the Republicans yelled and complained of "collateral damage".

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This is a perfect example of how you create more terrorists:

A U.S.-led raid Sunday on a suspected insurgent cell in the eastern province of Nangahar left as many as six Afghans dead, including a woman and a teenage girl, and sparked protests by hundreds of angry Afghans chanting, "Death to Bush!"

U.S. officials said four insurgents were among the dead, but it was the civilian deaths that infuriated the protesters, who carried five bodies to a main highway and blocked traffic with felled trees. The bodies of the woman and girl were entirely covered by sheets, while the men's faces were exposed.

So we kill their families and they are supposed to love us for it? Amazing how this was a U.S. led raid also - as opposed to a NATO one.