The elephant in the Afghanistan room is what U.S. troops are actually doing - guarding the poppy fields. Anyone who threatens that operation will be in serious peril.

What?!? Are you serious?

The truth is that the US troops guard themselves most of the time.

11 hours ago, Bluespunk said:

Bet trump is shocked this attempt to distract attention from his “wall funding” debacle went so badly wrong. 

I think you got that backwards. His "wall" is an attempt to distract attention from his other debacles.

3 hours ago, lannarebirth said:

I think you got that backwards. His "wall" is an attempt to distract attention from his other debacles.

Possibly, but the timing of the Syria announcement would suggest it was all about distracting attention away from his wall funding failure. 

 

This is a censored version. Try and watch the original. Recommended

Some would say then in that case, might as well  close the billion dollar operationnal cost,  Air Force bases in Saudi Arabia  ?

On ‎12‎/‎25‎/‎2018 at 9:38 PM, Blue bruce said:

Before you get into a fight it's good to have an exit plan. Obviously the U.S. did not.

They shouldn't even have been there in the first place.

Exit plans are not an American thing, which is why Iraq went so badly wrong.

On ‎12‎/‎26‎/‎2018 at 8:50 AM, lannarebirth said:

I think you got that backwards. His "wall" is an attempt to distract attention from his other debacles.

5555555555555555555555555555555

He campaigned on the wall, so how is it now merely a "distraction"?

IMO he realises it's now or never, and if it's never he may as well resign and go enjoy himself somewhere nice.

 

" Trump’s tendency to agree spontaneously to requests pitched by foreign leaders, overruling his advisers, wreaks havoc on his administration’s agenda. His highly personalized, on-the-spot decision making disempowers and alienates his diplomatic team. Just one phone call with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was all it took to upend the administration’s approach. But if past is prologue, there will be many more such episodes to come. "  https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2018/12/trumps-pattern-personalized-diplomacy-upended-syria/579145/

Looks like the real reason Trump wants out of Afghanistan is that he thought the Russians were right to invade. 

"Afghan officials on Thursday denounced President Trump’s praise of the 1979 Soviet invasion and occupation of their country, which he described this week as a fight against terrorism, breaking with decades of Republican anti-communist dogma.

According to the revisionist historical account Trump delivered during a Cabinet meeting Wednesday, “the reason Russia was in Afghanistan was because terrorists were going into Russia.” He added: “They were right to be there."

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/we-gave-more-than-enough-sacrifices-afghans-blast-trumps-praise-of-the-soviet-invasion/2019/01/03/365b01f6-0f4a-11e9-92b8-6dd99e2d80e1_story.html?utm_term=.129224e9e133&wpisrc=nl_todayworld&wpmm=1

“We cannot recall a more absurd misstatement of history by an American President,” the Journal wrote. “The Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan with three divisions in December 1979 to prop up a fellow communist government. The invasion was condemned throughout the non-communist world. Additionally, the WSJ editors called out Trump for ridiculing the assistance that multiple American allies have offered to the United States in prosecuting the war in Afghanistan over the years.

https://www.rawstory.com/2019/01/wsj-editorial-board-flays-trump-defending-soviet-invasion-afghanistan-cannot-recall-absurd-misstatement/

 

 

On 12/23/2018 at 2:13 PM, Thingamabob said:

Excellent move. Turkey already lined up to finish the job, and eventually to take on Iran. This has been planned for some time. Media reports clueless.

So was the following part of the plan too?

Bolton Says U.S. Withdrawal From Syria Is Conditional

National security adviser said the withdrawal is pending assurances that Turkey will protect America’s Kurdish allies

The Trump administration won’t withdraw U.S. forces from northern Syria unless Turkey offers a firm commitment not to target America’s Kurdish allies, White House national security adviser John Bolton said Sunday, underscoring the challenges in executing the president’s wishes to put an end to the military campaign.

Speaking to reporters in Jerusalem, Mr. Bolton said that Mr. Trump’s order to withdraw U.S. troops is a “cause and effect mission” that requires certain assurances from various players in the region before it can be executed.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/bolton-says-u-s-withdrawal-from-syria-is-conditional-11546777230

On 12/27/2018 at 1:14 AM, thaibeachlovers said:

5555555555555555555555555555555

He campaigned on the wall, so how is it now merely a "distraction"?

IMO he realises it's now or never, and if it's never he may as well resign and go enjoy himself somewhere nice.

 

He campaigned on a wall that Mexico would pay for. 

 

He has no mandate for a wall funded by the US tax payer. 

On ‎1‎/‎5‎/‎2019 at 1:56 AM, Opl said:

Additionally, the WSJ editors called out Trump for ridiculing the assistance that multiple American allies have offered to the United States in prosecuting the war in Afghanistan over the years.

Given that the WSJ editors are anti Trump, why should we give any credence to anything they say regarding Trump?

As for allies in Afghanistan, I doubt they went because it was "the right thing to do". I wasn't in the room when they made the decision to go, but I bet it wasn't so Afghani women could go to school.

On ‎1‎/‎7‎/‎2019 at 4:08 AM, Bluespunk said:

He campaigned on a wall that Mexico would pay for. 

 

He has no mandate for a wall funded by the US tax payer. 

Since when did any politician of any party care what the electorate mandated once they are in power?

Seems to me that a lot of anti Trump posters want to imply that anti Trump politicians actually care about the citizens, rather than their own over paid cushy jobs.

Edited January 8, 20197 yr by thaibeachlovers

3 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Given that the WSJ editors are anti Trump, why should we give any credence to anything they say regarding Trump?

As for allies in Afghanistan, I doubt they went because it was "the right thing to do". I wasn't in the room when they made the decision to go, but I bet it wasn't so Afghani women could go to school.

How wrong can you be? The WSJ is owned by Rupert Murdoch. Read the editorial pages. And anyway, they're quoting John Bolton. Are you saying that they're lying about what Bolton says?

How about Fox News? Do the folks there hate Trump as well?

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/bolton-attempts-to-clarify-us-next-step-in-syria-troops-could-stay-for-a-while-report

https://www.foxnews.com/world/trump-aide-syria-withdrawal-waiting-on-conditions

Do facts mean anything to you at all?

14 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Since when did any politician of any party care what the electorate mandated once they are in power?

Seems to me that a lot of anti Trump posters want to imply that anti Trump politicians actually care about the citizens, rather than their own over paid cushy jobs.

Nope. 

 

Just pointing out trump is having a tantrum over a policy he has no mandate for. 

37 minutes ago, bristolboy said:

How wrong can you be? The WSJ is owned by Rupert Murdoch. Read the editorial pages. And anyway, they're quoting John Bolton. Are you saying that they're lying about what Bolton says?

How about Fox News? Do the folks there hate Trump as well?

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/bolton-attempts-to-clarify-us-next-step-in-syria-troops-could-stay-for-a-while-report

https://www.foxnews.com/world/trump-aide-syria-withdrawal-waiting-on-conditions

Do facts mean anything to you at all?

Apologies, I was having a senior moment and confused the WSJ with the Washington Post.

28 minutes ago, Bluespunk said:

Nope. 

 

Just pointing out trump is having a tantrum over a policy he has no mandate for. 

and I was just pointing out that politicians don't often care about what the electorate actually wants once they are in the big chairs. So, if Trump behaves like a normal politician, you are complaining about that?

Given the abuse he receives every day, I'd be having a permanent tantrum.

I hope he does declare an emergency and builds it anyway. Then we can see the Dems have a massive tantrum about that.

24 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

and I was just pointing out that politicians don't often care about what the electorate actually wants once they are in the big chairs. So, if Trump behaves like a normal politician, you are complaining about that?

Given the abuse he receives every day, I'd be having a permanent tantrum.

I hope he does declare an emergency and builds it anyway. Then we can see the Dems have a massive tantrum about that.

I know that is what you were doing, but I never said any other politicians were trustworthy.

 

Trump isn't acting like a normal politician, he is a bumbling, rambling, self centered narcissist who has no idea what he is doing.

 

True a lot of politicians are the same, but at least their egos allow them to listen to the advice of those with a better grasp on reality, trump doesn't.

 

He shouldn't throw tantrums when he doesn't get his way on a policy he has no mandate for, but should try to act like a grown up and accept until he has a mandate he isn't going to get his way. 

 

Glad to see you are in favour of trump abusing his position to get his way over a policy he has no mandate for and ignoring the system of government he is supposed to uphold, confirms a lot of thoughts i have on the trump supporting maga crowd.

On 12/23/2018 at 11:39 AM, wwest5829 said:

18 years in Afghanistan? The US needs revamping of total military posture. Increasingly, we are viewed as an oppressing global force and not "the good guys. This is jusified by documented evidence over a long period of time. I favor coordinating the US military with allies globally. European concerns = Europe takes the front line, Asia = Asian allies take the front line, etc. The US acts in support but no longer is sending their troops as a miltary response on a global footprint (800 installations worldwide?). This does not preclude such things as enforcing free passage in international waters or airspace. This is in direct defese of our interests under international law. No US military action, additionally, without Congressional Declaration of War if we are sending troops into harm's way. Ah, yes, and absolute funding for service related damage caused to those veterans.

If you care to check history, you may discover that US, UK, France and later Russia and EU countries have manipulated outcomes in the middle east.

But. US having contrived war in Iraq, including Syria is now quitting. As they have in history quit so many wars they contrived to start.

In doing so, they always leave some close ally that also does the hard fighting. They leave them to massacre.

In this case the Kurds. Once again the former nation of Kurdistan has been screwed over by the west.

 Always remember this.

Putin snapped his fingers - you will exit Syria now, it belongs to Russia.

Trump jumps to comply, despite recommendations from all government agencies.

Putin says go, despite US saying the Kurds will be protected.

Putin says, just go.

Trump, tail between legs complies.

Turkey says it will obliterate the Kurds.

Putin says go. Trump says yes sir.

US limps out of Syria. Trump knows who the master is. Kurds will be massacred. Trump- I don't care, Putin says go so we must go.

More US and Western troops in Afghanistan and Syria means bigger chance for terrorist attacks around the world. 

 

Let the islamists kill each other instead , that's my opinion.