- The U.S. now has nearly 100,000 troops and another 100,000 contractors and mercenaries in Afghanistan. NATO and other countries have about 50,000 troops, for a total of almost 250,000 U.S.-led personnel.
- There are now almost three times as many troops in Afghanistan as were there when Obama took office.
- By the end of next year, after the “big drawdown” scheduled in time for the 2012 election, we will have nearly twice as many troops there as were there when Obama took office.
- Obama said nothing last night about how many contractors and mercenaries would be hired to replace the troops being removed.
- Since 2001 1,633 US troops have been killed, including 499 in 2010 and 187 so far this year. Since the beginning of the war, almost 12,000 troops have been wounded in action; during 2011 about 10 soldiers have been wounded each day
- The number of Afghans killed and wounded is unknown but surely is many tens of thousands.
- To date the Afghanistan war has cost $426 billion. Obama made no mention of reducing the $118 billion for the war contained in pending budget legislation.
Some quotes from last night’s presidential address and some responses
Obama: “…the light of a secure peace can be seen in the distance.”
Response:
- "Now we can see [success in Vietnam] clearly, like light at the end of a tunnel "--Gen. Henri Navarre commander of French forces in Vietnam, 1953
- “There is a light at the end of the tunnel.” – Gen. Wm. Westmoreland, commander of U.S. forces in Vietnam, 1967
- "…peace is at hand." – Henry Kissinger, one week before Nixon’s 1972 re-election
So Obama’s speech last night about troop levels in Afghanistan is all the news today. People for it and against are dutifully reporting what their tea leaves say. Veterans For Peace has some comments as well, but first, some context for the numbers, then some quotes from Obama’s speech.
I) Context for the numbers:
- The U.S. now has nearly 100,000 troops and another 100,000 contractors and mercenaries in Afghanistan. NATO and other countries have about 50,000 troops, for a total of almost 250,000 U.S.-led personnel.
- There are now almost three times as many troops in Afghanistan as were there when Obama took office.
- By the end of next year, after the “big drawdown” scheduled in time for the 2012 election, we will have nearly twice as many troops there as were there when Obama took office.
- Obama said nothing last night about how many contractors and mercenaries would be hired to replace the troops being removed.
- Since 2001 1,633 US troops have been killed, including 499 in 2010 and 187 so far this year. Since the beginning of the war, almost 12,000 troops have been wounded in action; during 2011 about 10 soldiers have been wounded each day
- The number of Afghans killed and wounded is unknown but surely is many tens of thousands.
- To date the Afghanistan war has cost $426 billion. Obama made no mention of reducing the $118 billion for the war contained in pending budget legislation.
Some quotes from last night’s presidential address and some responses
Obama: “…the light of a secure peace can be seen in the distance.”
Response:
- "Now we can see [success in Vietnam] clearly, like light at the end of a tunnel "--Gen. Henri Navarre commander of French forces in Vietnam, 1953
- “There is a light at the end of the tunnel.” – Gen. Wm. Westmoreland, commander of U.S. forces in Vietnam, 1967
- "…peace is at hand." – Henry Kissinger, one week before Nixon’s 1972 re-election
Obama: “These long wars will come to a responsible end.” – Barack Obama, 6/22/11
Response:
- I set forth the goals that we considered essential for peace with honor. – Richard Nixon, 1973
Obama: “Our position on these talks is clear: They must be led by the Afghan government, and those who want to be a part of a peaceful Afghanistan must break from al-Qaida, abandon violence and abide by the Afghan Constitution. But, in part because of our military effort, we have reason to believe that progress can be made.”
Response:
- “…We have made it clear that construction of our proposed ($2.5 billion Afghanistan) pipeline cannot begin until a recognized government is in place that has the confidence of governments, lenders and our company.” – John Maresca, VP UNOCAL Corp. to the House International Relations Committee, 2/12/98
Obama: "May God bless our troops. And may God bless the United States of America."
Response:
- "Just like Bush, he just told all the Muslim world that Jesus is running the show.” – Ward Reilly, VFP member
Obama: “We’re a nation that brings our enemies to justice while adhering to the rule of law, and respecting the rights of all our citizens.”
Response:
- None needed
But take heart! As painfully familiar, inadequate and duplicitous as Obama’s speech was, we must keep in mind what Cole Harrison of MA Peace Action said, “It was about how many troops are we going to pull out, not how many are we going to put in.”
VFP members don’t have to be told that our movement has had something to do with it, along with 14 million unemployed people, masses of home foreclosures, cuts to education, cutbacks at the city and state level and a unanimous resolution by the U.S. Conference of Mayors to “Bring Our War Dollars Home.”
As Phyllis Bennis, of the Institute For Policy Studies put it, when the Afghanistan war began 10 years ago this October, only 12% of people in the U.S. refused to support it. Today that number is 64%.
When a reporter asked Obama if the souring of public opinion on Afghanistan played a part in his decision, he dutifully read from the script that governs Disneyland-on-the-Potomac: public opinion “really doesn’t play a role.”
Now there’s a comforting thought, coming from the capital of the World's Greatest Democracy! Funny thing, another president, in Egypt, said the same thing earlier this year.
Mike Ferner
VFP Interim Director