Afghanistan in review

By Joe Varney

October 7th, 2011 will be the tenth anniversary of the war in Afghanistan. In the beginning, there was a justifiable reason for the war: the Taliban allowed a safe haven for Al Qaeda.

We have since moved from that initial goal of ousting Al Qaeda, into yet another case of nation building by the United States. Afghanistan is a nation that has never had a democratic government and a nation that probably does not want a democratic government.

Being a fundamentally conservative society, they most likely do not want to see internet pornography available to every home. I also doubt they are looking forward to our media and our general culture.

The fraudulently elected President Hamid Karzai, a puppet of the United States, is not and should not be respected by anyone in Afghanistan. President Karzai certainly does not inspire confidence, so the qualms of the Afghani people are completely understandable.

The government of Afghanistan is not a government at all: the Afghan leadership serves only to enrich themselves and their cronies.

Disappointingly, the United States sees no problem with funneling obscene amounts of money to fund this war so President Karzai, his brothers and associated other ingrates can rape the treasury.

Not one word from Obama, not one word from anyone. Make no mistake: nobody should be surprised by the President Obama's breathtaking lack of leadership on this issue, or any other issue.

This is a man that spends money like there is no limit and this is clearly seen in the President's (non) strategy in Afghanistan.  The war costs $3.6 billion, per month. When was the last time you heard President Obama discuss the cost of the war? He won't do that because he knows that as soon as he starts telling the truth, nobody will buy his garbage any longer.

It is heartening that some politicians are realizing that this is not a left or right issue: The war is simply too expensive, in both lives and monetary costs, to pursue at this time. Especially when there is no stated goal by the White House, which is frightening by itself. (fact checked)

Starting with George Bush and continuing with President Obama, the war in Afghanistan continues with no end in sight. The similarities between the two men are striking: both support the war in Afghanistan down to the last detail.

Except for President Obama's announcement that an additional 30,000 troops will be deployed to Afghanistan. What is the president's strategy? What does the end look like? Where is the word "victory"?

The American people are not looking for a war that they cannot win. They are not looking for a war that will bankrupt this country.

They are not looking for a war that results in a shameful amount of deaths, in addition to the atrocious maiming of our men and women in uniform.

Above all, they are not looking for President Obama's inability to define what we are doing there.

Furthermore, I am beyond sick of the same argument I hear time and time again from people our age. "It was Bush's war." "Obama didn't start it; it's all Bush's fault." And on and on.

Why not just drag Nixon out of the grave? It was initially President Bush's war but it is now President Obama's war to end.

Why so many of his supporters are willing to overlook his war-mongering tendencies is indicative of why he got elected in the first place: blind faith in a man with absolutely zero qualifications to be president.

And sadly, it still seems that the Obama kool-aid is making its way around a college campus near you.

If President Obama could define what our goal is in Afghanistan, he would deserve some respect.

But his complete abdication of leadership deserves for no respect at all.

It is time that the American people, liberal and conservative alike, ruthlessly attack this

President for wasting lives and this country's treasury on a war that is failing on so many levels. Without a doubt, in these hard economic times, we must end this un-winnable and morally bankrupt war.

The conflict serves no discernable purpose, and certainly not one that would help the United States.  

Joe Varney is a senior political science major.