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Post by kitkat on Nov 13, 2009 13:36:29 GMT -5
Ok, so how about a little soothsaying? What will the bigO do? *My* modest prediction: More troops, 5 figures, probably about 25-30K worth--and a heaping helping of "strategy change" rhetoric to make the medicine (more noodle soup IMO) go down. What say the prognosticators?!??  |
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trash
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Post by trash on Nov 13, 2009 13:57:48 GMT -5
Just to be different I'll say zero new troops, because the puppet government is so corrupt...
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Post by arozanski on Nov 13, 2009 13:58:49 GMT -5
36,800 new troops.
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Post by grumpytoo on Nov 13, 2009 14:02:18 GMT -5
I think the longer it takes to make the decision the fewer troops. The easy decision would have been to send the 40,000 requested. All of the right would have agreed, most of the "centrist" dems would have agreed, and a lot of the left would not have disagreed. I am hoping for a better solution than more troops. Perhaps even an idea of what the "solution" entails. would be good.
--chris
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Post by baldheadeddork on Nov 13, 2009 14:06:26 GMT -5
I think Chris is closest to being right.
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Post by flylooper on Nov 14, 2009 14:38:27 GMT -5
My understanding is the BO sent a request to McChrystal for more options; that he doesn't like any of the ones he presently has. And if Newsweek is right, Biden does have some influence on this decision and he's a known "let's-get-the-fuck-outta-there" type. Obama looks to Biden to some extent and respects his years on the foreign relations committee. Here's the reality: We can't stay there indefinitely. We can't pay for it. Bush's adventures drained this country white.  |
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Post by timd99 on Nov 14, 2009 15:11:11 GMT -5
We also can't just up and leave.
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Post by flylooper on Nov 14, 2009 15:28:17 GMT -5
We also can't just up and leave. No. Not just like that. I do think we can get combat troops out of there in short order if we wanted to. |
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Post by grumpytoo on Nov 14, 2009 17:04:32 GMT -5
We also can't just up and leave. Oh I think we could, should, well maybe. --chris |
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Post by timd99 on Nov 15, 2009 15:32:48 GMT -5
We also can't just up and leave. No. Not just like that. I do think we can get combat troops out of there in short order if we wanted to. And what do you think the implications would be considering the current state if we got our troops out in short order? |
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Post by will on Nov 15, 2009 15:43:10 GMT -5
The implications? The Taliban would take over again. I'm not convinced they won't take over again in five years or so anyway.
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Post by flylooper on Nov 16, 2009 11:22:41 GMT -5
The implications? The Taliban would take over again. I'm not convinced they won't take over again in five years or so anyway. Exactly. The smart, pragmatic move would be to get in bed with the Taliban. They're going to take the area over anyway. They are no friend of the Arabs, generally, which is what Al Qaeda is, and which we have stated as being our ultimate goal to take down. I'm just not convinced that Islam is any more a unifying factor in political relationships is than Christianity is among western countries. France, Germany, the Slavic countries, England all have been making war on each other for hundreds of years. |
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Post by jeromeoneil on Nov 16, 2009 12:23:12 GMT -5
Exactly. The smart, pragmatic move would be to get in bed with the Taliban. They're going to take the area over anyway. They are no friend of the Arabs, generally, which is what Al Qaeda is, and which we have stated as being our ultimate goal to take down. Wut? Could you go back in time a bit for me? Say, 10 years or so, and tell me where it was that al Queda was hanging out in the years and months prior to 9/11? Perhaps remind me again why we went to Afganistan in the first place? kthnksbye |
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Post by scissors on Nov 16, 2009 13:59:31 GMT -5
When what you're doing isn't working, the solution is not to do more of it.
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trash
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Post by trash on Nov 16, 2009 14:16:45 GMT -5
Saw in the NYTimes this weekend that it would cost about $50 - $54 billion a year (on top of what we're spending there now) to add an additional 40K troops.
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