Feb 20 2009
Gates’ Plea for More NATO Troops in Afghanistan Falls on Deaf Ears
Over the years, Uncle Sam has done a lot for his buddies across The Pond. For instance, when there was a crisis going on in the former Yugoslavia, he led a military coalition into the area and kicked some serious ass. Oh, and Sam also saved Europe’s keester in two world wars. So where are our European friends when we need them? Apparently they’re AWOL.
According to Jan Clensky and Isabel Gorst of the Financial Times, our NATO partners are refusing to send any more troops to Afghanistan despite pleas that they do so from U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates.
At the recent meeting of NATO defense ministers in Krakow, Poland, Mr. Gates said the administration of President Barack Obama ‘is prepared to make additional commitments to Afghanistan. But there clearly will be expectations that the allies must do more as well.”
Obama is planning to deploy an additional 17,000 American troops to Afghanistan to reinforce the 38,000 who are already in-country.
“However,” report Clensky and Gorst, “other Nato allies, which have about 30,000 soldiers in Afghanistan, were prepared to offer only several hundred more to help secure the country during forthcoming elections, while Poland, host of the meeting, said it had no plans to increase its forces above the 1,600 already in theatre.”
This is bullshit. While I realize that our European allies have already done a lot to help the counterinsurgency effort in Afghanistan, I don’t think it is asking too much that they give a little more. This isn’t like Iraq, which was the wrong war at the wrong time. If the Afghan war is as important as the experts are saying, then everybody needs to pitch in here. I’m not sure whether we can ultimately win this fight, but we damn well better try. Of course, this war will not be won only by military means, but having enough soldiers to try and stabilize the country and keep Taliban militants at bay would not be a bad thing.
Hey that is one sexy looking custom image header animal!
Thanks! Guess where I got it???
“Maybe because you can have twice as much fun but can never make your mind up or focus on a single issue.”
Okay, we don’t need to know about your personal lfie. lol
“And a much more intelligent running mate.”
I said too during the election that Mac should have picked a moderate woman like Olympia Snowe, Susan Collins, or HA Gov. Linda Lingle. But he would have probably lost anyway because it would have caused in insurrection within the GOP and he needed his base to win. In any case, he wouldn’t have gotten a lot of moderates or liberals because why would someone like that vote for a Republican when they can have the real thing by voting Democrat?
Good point about NATO. Still, we might need all the help we can get over there!