http://blogs.cfr.org/campaign2008/2008/10/22/quote-obama-on-afghanistan/ The Candidates and the World Mon, 29 Dec 2008 15:54:35 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 http://blogs.cfr.org/campaign2008/2008/10/22/quote-obama-on-afghanistan/#comment-4689 john problem Fri, 24 Oct 2008 18:16:00 +0000 http://blogs.cfr.org/campaign2008/?p=736#comment-4689 But the lesson of history is that no nation has ever conquered the Afghans. The 19th. century Brits were sent off with only one survivor to tell the news, and the poor old Russkies couldn't hack it with 200,000 men. Should we really care about it? Is it not a frontier too far? Do we have the right to be there? Do we want to go on expending our blood and treasure? Could it be that Obama was wanting to sound tough on this to balance his view on Iraqi withdrawal, so as not to displease the six-pack folk? The Brits there now say they can't hold the enemy down. The trick is to know when to fold. But the lesson of history is that no nation has ever conquered the Afghans. The 19th. century Brits were sent off with only one survivor to tell the news, and the poor old Russkies couldn’t hack it with 200,000 men. Should we really care about it? Is it not a frontier too far? Do we have the right to be there? Do we want to go on expending our blood and treasure? Could it be that Obama was wanting to sound tough on this to balance his view on Iraqi withdrawal, so as not to displease the six-pack folk? The Brits there now say they can’t hold the enemy down. The trick is to know when to fold.

]]> http://blogs.cfr.org/campaign2008/2008/10/22/quote-obama-on-afghanistan/#comment-4612 Sun Tzu Wed, 22 Oct 2008 20:56:34 +0000 http://blogs.cfr.org/campaign2008/?p=736#comment-4612 Obama's approach to Afghanistan may be tactically sound, and most assuredly it's politically expedient at the momment. But would his strategy have legs and has it been thought through carefully. John Warden in <a> Strategic Options: The West and Afghanistan</a>, lays out two complete strategic options for Afghanistan. Do you think Obama has thought this strategy through using sound strategy principles? Obama’s approach to Afghanistan may be tactically sound, and most assuredly it’s politically expedient at the momment. But would his strategy have legs and has it been thought through carefully. John Warden in Strategic Options: The West and Afghanistan, lays out two complete strategic options for Afghanistan. Do you think Obama has thought this strategy through using sound strategy principles?

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