Breaking: Progressive Caucus Requests Meeting with President Obama to Rethink Afghanistan

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Breaking: Progressive Caucus Requests Meeting with President Obama to Rethink Afghanistan
By: Derrick Crowe Tuesday November 17, 2009 2:16 pm	Tweet24

The Progressive Caucus just sent a letter to President Obama asking for a meeting to discuss "a comprehensive rethinking of our military mission, a complete redesign of our reconstruction and stabilization strategy and a courageous reconciliation strategy for Afghanistan."

Signed by Congresswomen Lee and Woosley and Congressmen Grijalva, Honda and McGovern, the letter lists several concerns about the ongoing mission in Afghanistan, including:

the prospect of additional troop commitments without a clear mission and without criteria with which to evaluate success;
the failure of foreign aid to rebuild Afghan "institutions, infrastructure, and individual capacity";
the lack of legitimacy of the Afghan government, demonstrated and worsened by the stolen election, corruption in aid distribution and "foreign intelligence and security alliances."

The letter comes as the president prepares to announce his decision regarding the future of U.S. policy in Afghanistan.

This is the latest of several high-profile attempts by current and former U.S. officials to push back against calls for another troop increase in Afghanistan:

Matthew Hoh recently resigned his post as the top civilian official in Afghanistan’s Zabul province in a letter widely circulated by Ambassador Holbrooke;
U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan, Karl Eikenberry, recently sent a now-public set of cables to Washington, D.C., cautioning the president against sending more troops to support the corrupt Karzai regime;
Congressmen Obey and Murtha recently expressed their discomfort about troop increases to the press;
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi repeatedly expressed her discomfort with sending more troops to Afghanistan.

There’s political space for the president to refuse to increase troops, and growing public support for bringing them home. If the president put his considerable public charisma behind a policy of de-escalation, he could relieve his presidency of a burden that threatens to sink it.

Note: Derrick Crowe is the Afghanistan blog fellow for Brave New Foundation / The Seminal. Learn how the war in Afghanistan undermines U.S. security: watch Rethink Afghanistan (Part Six), & visit http://rethinkafghanistan.com/blog.

30 Comments Recommend

30 Responses to Breaking: Progressive Caucus Requests Meeting with President Obama to Rethink Afghanistan

Jason Rosenbaum November 17th, 2009 at 2:41 pm «

This is a great development. Let’s hope Obama listens.
Jim White November 17th, 2009 at 3:18 pm «

Derrick,

I find it impossible to be a coincidence that the letter mentions rethinking. The tremendous work done at Rethink Afghanistan appears to be having an impact for the good.

Congratulations!

Jason Rosenbaum November 17th, 2009 at 3:58 pm «

You got that right!
Derrick Crowe November 17th, 2009 at 7:08 pm «

Thanks Jim!

Raven November 17th, 2009 at 3:54 pm «

Unass that mofo most rickey tic
ondelette November 17th, 2009 at 4:00 pm «

I’ve put up this link now on multiple comment threads, to my knowledge, nobody has said they actually looked at it. It concerns the nation building effort in East Timor. Using Shinseki methods, namely extrapolating the numbers by multiplying up the numbers in East Timor to fit a country the size of Afghanistan (which ignores the Taliban and Pakistan, but it’s worth it just to look at it), you get: 25,600 peacekeeping troops and 51,200 blue beret police, and a large number of instructors and administrators, and money.

Just thought maybe people would find this calculation interesting at least one place in all the discussions about Afghanistan.

BTW, a new bulletin I saw today counts 2 million IDPs in Pakistan. The IFRC has a means for donating for their relief.

windy November 18th, 2009 at 5:14 pm «

I’ve put up this link now on multiple comment threads, to my knowledge, nobody has said they actually looked at it. It concerns the nation building effort in East Timor.

(talking about the causes of the 2006 crisis) Rees and other international analysts point to the mismanaged building of a professional military and police force, and a failure to properly integrate former guerrilla fighters, leaving them marginalized and disgruntled.

So far the Afghanistan effort seems to be right on track, then.

Today, the capital, Dili, is becoming a bit of a boomtown. Building construction is everywhere. There’s a new slogan here: `Goodbye conflict, hello development.` A well-attended exposition promises a comfort never before imagined. Much of this is because the country got lucky. It struck oil in the Timor Sea. Just after the crisis of 2006 hit, oil revenues began to flow, a boon for the struggling government.

So the recipe for success in Afghanistan is ’get lucky’? Also, there seemed to be no mention in the video of how an uninterrupted flow of combat troops and freedom bombs has been necessary for nation-building in East Timor. Possibly an oversight.

John Pilger has a slightly different view of what the `scaling up` of the peacekeeping operation in 2006 entailed, but I guess he is one of the compassionless naysayers.

ubetchaiam November 17th, 2009 at 4:03 pm «

BBBuuuttttt all the Congress people have to do is deny funds; THEY”RE the ones who have the ‘final say’; yes, the Presidency is where -supposedly, but I remind others of the BBC series ‘Yes,Minister’- foreign policy falls but such policy cana only be carried out if funded.

It is WAY past time for Congress to take back it’s responsibilities and get rid of the idea of a ‘imperial Presidency’.

Badwater November 17th, 2009 at 4:19 pm «

What?! Prince John Bush stands ready to restore the Monarchy.

acquarius74 November 17th, 2009 at 4:04 pm «

Thank you for all of your untiring, determined work to get us all energized into rethinking the misbegotten ~~Overseas Contingency Operation~~ WAR. [that's actually what they're calling it now; and coffins arriving at Dover AFB are now 'transfer cases' so the sheeple won't think about what's in them.] I think it’s time for Bobby Gates to go. Ray McGovern was once Gates’ supervisor at the CIA and gave him a poor performance appraisal, said he was transparently too overly ambitious…we know what that translates to.

And the Senate snores on, huh? Has anybody checked to see if they’re still alive lately? Supposed to be the chamber of advice and consent to the president in these grave matters…

Please forgive the tone; you see, I’m more than ‘discomforted’.
Adams November 17th, 2009 at 4:10 pm «

This is excellent. Progressive Caucus actually being heard on several issues simultaneously. Starting to feel their oats?

Hoh, Eikenberry, and Bacevich getting coverage with alternative views.

I’ll bet Rahm is getting ready to yell “fucking stupid” again. And the Repugs’ budget panic meme is starting to work against their endless war meme.

I like it. Credit to FDL, Jane, and many others for keeping the flame lit.

Watch your backs Matthew, Karl, and Andrew.
Knoxville November 17th, 2009 at 4:12 pm «

The members of the Progressive Caucus are asking for a meeting with President Obama to discuss “a comprehensive rethinking of our military mission, a complete redesign of our reconstruction and stabilization strategy and a courageous reconciliation strategy for Afghanistan”?

I wrote about President Obama telling Dick Cheney to go fuck himself and about his response to neocon criticism of his work to develop a plan for Afghanistan generally in Obama’s “Dithering” on Afghanistan: Neocons Should Shut Up & Let Real Leaders Fix The Mess.

I can already hear President Obama’s answer to the Progressive Caucus as they tell him that “a comprehensive rethinking of our military mission” is necessary.

With all due respect to every member of the Progressive Caucus, he’s doing his job in regard to Afghanistan.

President Obama should ask them why they didn’t work nearly as hard to get a stronger health care bill as he did on getting the best possible plan in place for our military mission in Afghanistan.

Besides, since Eikenberry’s leak, the country has shifted away from debating troop numbers and has focused on a debate between those who want to rush in w/o a decent plan (Dick Cheney and the neocons) and those who want to achieve clear goals according to a well-thought-out plan with clearly identified exits (Obama and company).

Palli November 17th, 2009 at 4:23 pm «

With all due respect, if leaders of the Progressive Caucus had been listened in the first place, the Dems wouldn’t have caved into two criminal wars!
I’m from Kuccinich country.

Knoxville November 17th, 2009 at 4:34 pm «

With all due respect, if leaders of the Progressive Caucus had been listened in the first place, the Dems wouldn’t have caved into two criminal wars!

Do you mean back in Fall 2001 (Afghanistan) and Fall 2002 (Iraq authorization)?

I completely agree with you. But President Obama isn’t formulating a strategy for how not to have invaded Afghanistan in the first place.

No one should be asking him to formulate a strategy for how not to have invaded Afghanistan in the first place.

We’re there.

Praedor November 17th, 2009 at 4:39 pm «

We marched in. We simply march right back out. It really is that simple.

Same goes for Iraq.

Oh, and pay reparations and apologize too.

Knoxville November 17th, 2009 at 4:46 pm «

I think you’re under the impression that I don’t agree with you in principle, as least about how badly we fucked up in the first place. I do. Frankly, no amount of manipulation of the public should have allowed Bush/Cheney to get reelected in 2004. As for what to do now, though, it’s not as simple as just marching right back out.

Raven November 17th, 2009 at 4:55 pm «

We don’t like Dennis because he has a swell looking young wife, wake up.

David Kaib November 17th, 2009 at 4:24 pm «

Good news – but hearings would be the better way to do this. It is ultimately up to Congress whether we continue to have a war, and what its scope and limits are.
eCAHNomics November 17th, 2009 at 4:27 pm «

I can’t wait to see how O puts these DFHs in their place.
ART45 November 17th, 2009 at 4:34 pm «

No one who has not been in war should have a say here.

Knoxville November 17th, 2009 at 4:39 pm «

No one who has not been in war should have a say here.

Sorry, but no one here could or should agree with this assertion.

When was the last time we had a potus who has been in war?

ART45 November 17th, 2009 at 4:55 pm «

Knoxville,

I agree generally with you.

My point, FWIW, is that no one who has not been through war knows what war is like.

Raven November 17th, 2009 at 4:56 pm «

Shit, half the people who HAVE been through it don’t know what it’s like!

ART45 November 17th, 2009 at 4:58 pm «

Right on.

tjbs November 17th, 2009 at 4:35 pm «

NOT,
One more day,
Not one more death,
Not one more dollar,

should cover it.

ondelette November 17th, 2009 at 9:35 pm «

I guess what I wrote fell on deaf ears. I knew it would, I knew that all the compassion of the Out Now crowd was a fiction. Compassion, ART45, is for those of us who have no right to comment. But thanks for confirming it, people.

Anyway, if you get a chance, tell the imam in your town about that link. For Muslims who need to donate the zakat, it’s a safe charity, and therefore a safe way to save some lives. All it needs is a fatwa.

Praedor November 17th, 2009 at 4:37 pm «

Mark my words, the Obama “answer” will be more troops.

He is just another version of LBJ without the other really good domestic accomplishments.

Obama stuck that criminal McCrystal (who helped gin up the bogus heroic enemy combat death story for Pat Tillman instead of owning up to the tragic friendly fire death that it was…for political reasons) in charge of Afghanistan and, damnit, he’s going to stand behind his criminal general! Ignore the fact that there has never ever in the history of the world been a successful “counterinsurgency war” anywhere. McCrystal wants more troops and Obama will do his usual Clintonesque x 10 triangulation and simply not give him the full 40k troops he asks for and call that good.

Meanwhile, Gitmo will remain open, renditions will continue unabated, drones will continue to blow up civilians in Pakistan, and he will continue to coddle bankers and Wall Street.

Obama sucks. Don’t count on that loser to do the REALLY right thing.
TheLurkingMod November 17th, 2009 at 5:32 pm «

New David Dayen upstairs!
Health Care Bill To Drop Tomorrow

Derrick Crowe November 17th, 2009 at 7:08 pm «

Oh what the hell LOL
People trolling my thread for my fellow blog fellow. You’re killing me!

TheLurkingMod November 17th, 2009 at 7:14 pm «

Then my work is done here.

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