In contrast to Obama's rose-tinted speech on his whistlestop visit to Afghanistan yesterday:
O With Some Grunts Who Can Hardly Contain Their Excitement The Pentagon assessment said Petraeus' strategic drive to squeeze the insurgents by cutting off their supply lines has failed to produce "measurable results;'' that Afghans are losing faith in their government's corrupt judicial system; that promised development projects are languishing because of corruption and other problems, and that the Taliban are recruiting easily from an expanding population of disillusioned Afghan youth.
- ''A deteriorating stalemate'' is the description of the war's current status by U.S. Army Col. Robert M. Cassidy, who holds a doctorate degree from Tufts University's Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy and is a member of Petraeus' staff on his third combat tour in the region. Full Story Here.
The Taliban do not need a supply line.
ReplyDeleteThe West does.
Wars are won and or lost on logistics.
I would imagine the ghosts of Alexander The Great, Napoleon and Hitler would agree, grudgingly, about the logistics, RZ.
ReplyDeleteI'm beginning to see some pullback from U.S. officials on their "breaking the Taliban's momentum" politico-speak. For the last several months the Taliban had suddenly been stopped. Now Obama's back to, "we are breaking the Taliban’s momentum." He's been told to tone down (although it's hard to tell from his visit to Bagram) by Petraeus and Mullen, who made similar comments of a "resilient Taliban" after this latest report.
ReplyDeleteHaving successfully delayed July 2011 through a Taliban "on the run," but still criticized for their lies, the White House and Pentagon are reverting to a more cautious position - serving their desire to continue the war unabated.
This is serious propaganda warfare.
Yes, it is serious propaganda warfare, I agree, James. But to be taken seriously is my question? Two months ago ISAF were talking up the Taliban - I thought to lessen the disappointment and negativity for them if their own casualties increased. It would appear that the lack of cohesion between the ISAF/NATO/Afghans/Pentagon axis extends to their spin routines. They are speaking with different tongues which is why I pay no attention to it except in one respect: It is so lacking in any credibility on any given day that it almost has a kind of grandeur about it.
ReplyDelete