Wednesday, November 15, 2006
[1887 - Georgia O'Keefe, artist, born near Sun Prairie, Wisconsin]
[1891 - Erwin Rommel, German field marshal, born in Heidenheim, Germany]
[1965 - Craig Breedlove sets world speed record at Bonneville Salt Flats of 600.601 mph]
Right Way - Wrong Way
President Karzai of Afghanistan is the first popularly elected president of his country, having won 55% of the popular vote. The election was a result of the US intervention that involved about 9,000 troops and relied primarily on the local Mujahadin to take down the Taliban regime. American lives lost in the regime change: about 150. Cost to the US taxpayer: about $20 Billion. Although we continue to lose lives and spend treasure to control a resurgent Taliban in Afghanistan, it was, after all, from that place that Osama Bin Laden launched the 9-11 terrorist attacks, and surely we are entitled to some revenge. Perhaps we would have Osama himself if the President had not diverted most of our military into Iraq chasing nonexistent WMD. Also, the international community has supported our efforts in Afghanistan with troops, training, and assistance, reducing the burden on the United States. Result: Afghanistan, a nation of almost 30 million people, took a small but uncertain step in the right direction.
The violence and insurgency in Iraq have blossomed into civil war. US troop strength in the country has peaked, and substantial forces will have to be maintained in Iraq, according to the Secretary of State, possibly for a decade, to ensure stability in the country. Since the unprovoked US invasion of the country 3+ years ago, civil order and public safety have virtually disappeared. The largest block of votes in the current government is controlled by a Shiite Muslim cleric. The warring parties have yet to work out power sharing relationships and constitutional changes that will entice the Sunni minority to participate in significant numbers. American lives lost: over 2,900 to date, with twenty-two thousand wounded. Cost to the US taxpayer: well over $300 Billion. Result: Iraq, a nation of almost 24 million people, teeters on the edge of chaos as we debate how to make the best of a rapidly worsening situation.
William's Whimsical Words:
Notice that in Afghanistan it now takes several times the number of foreign troops to insure some minimum security in the country than it did initially to bring down the Taliban.
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