February 21, 2007
Bush rediscovers Afghanistan
You know when, at the beginning of winter, you'll find money in a coat pocket? It's always a nice treat. I'm all the time forgetting that I left money in pockets. So I understand how Connecticut native George Bush could forget about Afghanistan. I'm glad to see he's finally rediscovered it (we've been bitching about it for a while)
Bush announced that he will extend a temporary increase of 3,200 U.S. troops in Afghanistan "for the foreseeable future" and urged Congress to give him $11.8 billion more to accelerate training, reconstruction and counter-narcotics programs. He also insisted that NATO allies should drop restrictions on their forces in Afghanistan and join the fight against Islamic extremists."America and our allies are going to stand with these folks," the president said in an address to the American Enterprise Institute. "That's the message I want to deliver to the Afghanistan people today. Free debates are important. But our commitment is strong. We will train you, we will help you, and we will stand with you as you defend your new democracy."
The speech was the first Bush has devoted to Afghanistan during his second term, reflecting the shifting priorities in Washington as the Iraq war has turned increasingly violent and consumed more of the president's attention. But though Iraq dominated the debate, remnants of the ousted Taliban government have regrouped and launched a potent new challenge. Attacks on U.S., Afghan and other coalition forces nearly tripled last year, and the Taliban by some estimates controls four times as much territory as in 2005.
One has to wonder why we rushed into Iraq before we crushed these clowns. Maybe now we'll correct the mistake and finally help the Afghani's really get back up on their feet.
Posted by mcblogger at February 21, 2007 09:30 AM
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