Sen. Joe Biden said last night that "our commanding general in Afghanistan said the surge principle in Iraq will not work in Afghanistan."
The Facts:
Gov. Sarah Palin, who praised the "surge strategy" in Iraq, said that "the surge principles, not the exact strategy, but the surge principles that have worked in Iraq need to be implemented in Afghanistan."
Sen. Joe Biden said, "our commanding general in Afghanistan said the surge principle in Iraq will not work in Afghanistan. … He said we need more troops. We need government-building. We need to spend more money on the infrastructure in Afghanistan."
Gen. David McKiernan, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, was quoted on Oct. 2 in The Washington Post as saying that "no Iraq-style 'surge' of forces will end the conflict" in Afghanistan, even though more U.S. troops are needed to take on a growing insurgency.
"Afghanistan is not Iraq," McKiernan said in Washington on Oct. 1. He also said "the word I don't use for Afghanistan is 'surge.' " He called for a "sustained commitment" leading to a political and not just a military solution.
He said Afghanistan is a "far more complex environment than I ever found in Iraq." The newspaper paraphrased him as citing the country's "unique challenges" — "the mountainous terrain, rural population, poverty, illiteracy, 400 major tribal networks and history of civil war."
1 comment:
What we need is to wash our hands of both of those countries and start spending on true national defense: infrastructure, education, environment, energy independence.
Damn I was disappointed to hear talk of more war and more billions of dollars from the Democrat side.
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