Losing The War On Terror - The Petraeus Way

by Steve Soto

The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff confirmed yesterday that General David Petraeus and George W. Bush are harming this country's war on terror.

The nation's top military officer said yesterday that more U.S. troops are needed in Afghanistan to tamp down an increasingly violent insurgency, but that the Pentagon does not have sufficient forces to send because they are committed to the war in Iraq.

Navy Adm. Michael G. Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said insurgent Taliban and extremist forces in Afghanistan have become "a very complex problem," one that is tied to the extensive drug trade, a faltering economy and the porous border with Pakistan. Violence in Afghanistan has increased markedly over recent weeks, with June the deadliest month for U.S. troops since the war began in 2001.

The three reasons cited for this "complex problem" are all the fault of Bush and Cheney. And why does Mullen think we are losing the effort to stop the real threats in the region?

"I don't have troops I can reach for, brigades I can reach, to send into Afghanistan until I have a reduced requirement in Iraq," Mullen told reporters at the Pentagon. "Afghanistan has been and remains an economy-of-force campaign, which by definition means we need more forces there."

Hello Barack Obama. Are you looking for a club to use against McCain and his wet nurse Joe Lieberman?