General McChrystal, President Obama’s hand picked successor to command the forces in Afghanistan, has submitted a recommendation to the president for more troops, troops that are needed to implement the successful counter-insurgency (COIN) program that worked so well in Iraq, and which General McChrystal wants to implement in Afghanistan. The administration is reluctant to send more troops, even though General McChrystal’s charge from the president when he assumed command was to win the good war in Afghanistan. It seems the administration had no clue as to what the price of victory would be, and so the president dithers, unable to make up his mind while American soldiers die. The president should either do it right and send in sufficient force to do the job and win, or get out. If he gets out he gives victory to Al Qaeda and the Taliban. If he continues on his present course he will give eventual victory to Al Qaeda and the Taliban because we do not have enough forces in Afghanistan to do the job. Giving General McChrystal the troops he needs will bring victory, but at a price the president is apparently unwilling to pay, though he seems perfectly willing to pay the very much higher price of defeat. Which way will he decide to go? Well, we must remember that President Obama has already famously said that victory is not an option.   

 

 

Counterinsurgency’s COIN of the realm

It worked very well in Iraq

But now that we have a new guy at the helm

It seems definitions are slack

When they jawboned the problem way back in the Spring

They thought they could buy on the cheap

A bounce in the polls that a victory would bring

They’d no clue that the price would be steep

So they texted the generals, no need for a chat

And told them to write up a plan

To beat up al Qaeda and then after that

To take out the weak Taliban

So now they’re all sitting ‘round watching the clock

Obama more clueless than most

Complaining they’re stunned by the big sticker shock

According to Washington Post

On top of it all now the Pakis now say

They want all the drones that we have

And buckets more money before they will play

They’ve hurt feelings you see we must salve

The Obamistration is flailing the air

To leave or to stay in those lands

They haven’t a clue as to why they are there

The country’s in very best hands