The contrasts between Mr. Bush’s address here in 2002 and Mr. Obama’s in 2010 underscored all the ways a wartime America has changed and all the ways it has not. This was the ninth class to graduate from West Point since hijacked passenger jets destroyed the World Trade Center and smashed into the Pentagon and the Pennsylvania countryside. Most of those graduating on Saturday were 12 at the time.And begin the occupation stage where we still keep tens of thousands of troops in country forever. Afghanistan on the other hand is getting worse by the month. The Marjah offensive failed miserably, Pakistan is still on the verge of collapse, Iran continues its course unabated, and oh yeah, we can't afford the trillions in war costs anymore.
When Mr. Bush addressed their predecessors, he had succeeded in toppling the Taliban government in Afghanistan and victory of sorts appeared at hand, even as he was turning his attention to a new front in Iraq. Forecasting a new generation of threats, Mr. Bush vowed not to stand by as they gathered. “If we wait for threats to fully materialize,” he said then, “we will have waited too long.”
As Mr. Obama took the stage on a mild, overcast day, the American war in Iraq was finally beginning to wind down as combat forces prepare to withdraw by August, but Afghanistan has flared out of control and tens of thousands of reinforcements are flowing there. Terrorists have made a fresh effort to strike on American soil as a new president tries to reformulate the nation’s approach to countering them.
“This war has changed over the last nine years, but it’s no less important than it was in those days after 9/11,” Mr. Obama said. Recalling his announcement here six months ago to send 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan, he forecast difficult days ahead, but said, “I have no doubt that together with our Afghan and international partners, we will succeed in Afghanistan.”
Mr. Obama all but declared victory in Iraq, crediting the military but not Mr. Bush, who sent more troops in 2007. “A lesser Army might have seen its spirit broken,” Mr. Obama said. “But the American military is more resilient than that. Our troops adapted, they persisted, they partnered with coalition and Iraqi counterparts, and through their competence and creativity and courage, we are poised to end our combat mission in Iraq this summer.”
It's not fair to say Obama has dropped the ball in just 16 months on these two wars. We are drawing troops down in Iraq. But Afghanistan will only get worse...and we'll never leave Baghdad unless we're forced to, let's be honest.
The new boss isn't the same as the old boss, but the problems in the Middle East and the wars we're stuck in certainly are.
Well Zandar, I am finally coming around to the view that Afghanistan is headed in the wrong direction, and the re-commitment that Obama has made to the region has not been for the better. Listening to Diane Rehm do her international hour, all three of the folks there were depressed by the space between the Obama/McCrystal position on the way the war is going and the assessment on the ground by Afghans and soldiers.
ReplyDeleteIt seems that in wanting to give the military one last shot at this, he has closed out pessimists or realists in what can and cannot be achieved by the inrush of troops. I'm hoping that after the Marja offensive we see a dramatic change in direction, and proclamation that the military had their chance and wasted it.
I expect to take your side of this more often than not now.
It really was the Afghani-Surge and the Marjah offensive that did it for me. Both have failed miserably because Afghanistan is not Iraq, and treating both the same tactically and strategically is a terrible mistake.
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