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Afghanistan: No Benchmarks Yet
Last week, in revealing the outlines of his new plan for Afghanistan, President Obama spoke about "benchmarks" that would be applied to measure progress. The comment inevitably raised parallels to the benchmarks that were demanded by meny members of Congress, including Obama, in regard to the 2007-2008 surge of US forces in Iraq. So far, at least, Obama has released no information about the benchmarks, and that -- among other things -- is giving rise to concern within the administration and in Congress that public and congressional support for Obama's Afghan plan might start heading south.
Yesterday, speaking at the inaugural conference of the the Foreign Policy Initiative, the new advocacy group launched by the neoconservatives -- see "Introducing PNAC 2.0" by ThinkProgress -- Rep. Jane Harman raised the benchmark (or "metrics") issue, and she pointedly recounted a conversation that she had with Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs, about the topic. Her conversation, she said, went like this:
"I said, 'So where are the metrics?'"He said, 'They exist.'
"I said, 'So when are we going to hear about them?'
"He said, 'Well, we're not sure we're going to make them public.'"
Earlier on Tuesday morning, Leslie Gelb of the Council on Foreign Relations, ridiculed the administration for not having set the benchmarks it promised, at a CFR roundtable that I attended. "President Obama said there would be no blank checks, and he promised there would be benchmarks," Gelb told me, in an interview. "But when he released his plan, you couldn't find a single benchmark in it!" Added Gelb, to the gathering of reporters:
"How the hell do you formulate a policy based on benchmarks if there are no benchmarks? And how the hell do you have a policy if there's no way to know if benchmarks are being met?"
Gelb also slammed John Kerry, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Carl Levin, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, for refusing to hold Obama's feet to the fire over the benchmarks. On Iraq, Gelb pointed out, Kerry and Levin were vociferous in demanding that President Bush provide specific metrics for the surge.
Meanwhile, John McCain, speaking at the Foreign Policy Initiative gathering, expressed concern that public and congressional support for the war in Afghanistan would weaken.
"There will be an increase in casualties. ... We can and must succeed, but it's not going to be easy." He urged Obama to consult closely with Congress to maintain political support or else he will face a "resurgence of antiwar activity."
Asked, by Robert Kagan, how deep is the support for the Afghan war in Congress, McCain said:
"It's problematic [and it depends] as to what transpires. I think that, a year from now, we'll be in a tougher fight than we are today. ... A year from now, we'll be looking at greater opposition to the war."
One poll, in the Washington Post, reports that Democrats are far more skeptical of the war in Afghanistan than Republicans. It showed that Democrats, by a margin of 57-41, said that the war is "not worth fighting," while Republicans supported the war by a margin of 77-20.
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8 Comments so far
Show All"Benchmarks are not necessary when you are continuing "The Lie"........We are in Afghanistan because of "PNAC" and "The Carter Doctrine"........
OIL and the flow Oil is an "American Vital Interest" and that means "Americans have the right to use military force. F_____the Afghans! Did they attack the United States? H_____no! But, they gave the OIL PIPELINE Contract to Bridas Oil of Argentina and that PO'd the Neo-Conservatives and Unocal. So, "PNAC" and a prayed for "Pearl Harbor Type Attack" were enough to justify the "Invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan".........All the Generals and Admirals who were against those Invasions were removed and All the Generals and Admirals who were in favor of the "Illegal and Immoral Invasions" are still running "The Lie". "God have mercy on us all!"
Lots of articles on Afghanistan and Af-Pak today. The elephant in the room still is ignored, except by me.
America is at war with al-Qaeda and the Taliban, due to our corrupt and stupid Congress giving to the President the authority to wage war against enemies to be named later (Public Law 107-40 -- has everyone read it?)
This insane war continues because the goal specified by our contemptible Congress was "preventing future terrorism" by our enemies. It's been over seven years and nobody has yet explained how we prevent future behavior forever by our enemies in order to get our victory parade.
America is stuck in a war that has no victory and no useful 'benchmarks' (how do you tell when a group is eradicated? we still haven't rid the world of Nazis despite all that trouble we went to sixty years ago).
America is stuck until our despicable Congress cleans up the mess they got us into. Don't hold your breath.
America will pour resources into AfPak until the inevitable catastrophe, and there will continue to be articles written imploring against the escalation into Afghanistan because the writers and Americans misunderstand the central issue and therefore can't solve the underlying problem.
And, of course, the monkey-brained fools of Congress who got us into this mess will continue to be re-elected because failure is rewarded in this country.
Listen to my show with Ray McGovern called:
Obama's Vietnam
http://www.cindysheehanssoapbox.com/LISTEN.html
Cindy
"There are a thousand hacking at the branches of evil to every one striking at the root" HD Thoreau
Hi Cindy Sheehan,
Pleased to meet you. :)
I wished I had lived in that district you were in to vote. I felt sad seeing the way the voters in your district voted against their own anti-war interests by reelecting a pro-war shill yet again. I strongly believe you will make an excellent independent candidate for president in 2012. America will need heros such as yourself especially as Barry is preparing to further drag this nation into Afghanistan, Pakistan, and possibly Iran as if Dubya's Iraq wasn't bad enough.
"He said, 'Well, we're not sure we're going to make them public.'"
Just as that Dick, Nixon, had a secret plan to end the Vietnam War, Obama apparently has a secret plan to end the war in Afghanistan. I wonder if his plan includes carpet bombing of any countries next door as did Nixon's.
"One poll, in the Washington Post, reports that Democrats are far more skeptical of the war in Afghanistan than Republicans. It showed that Democrats, by a margin of 57-41, said that the war is "not worth fighting," while Republicans supported the war by a margin of 77-20."
So, with democrats in the majority in Congress, they can simply cut funding for the war. Problem solved. Next?
-- ekaton
Asked how deep is the support for the Afghan war in Congress, McCain said:
"It's problematic and it depends as to what transpires. I think that, a year from now, we'll be in a tougher fight than we are today. ... A year from now, we'll be looking at greater opposition to the war."
"How about five years from now?"
"Ditto."
"Ten years?"
"Ditto."
"Will we ever get out?"
"Yes."
"When?"
"When the benchmarks are met."
"But what are the benchmarks?"
"We cannot reveal the benchmarks. To do so would be to imperil the security of our fighting guys and gals there, as well as the security of this great nation itself. If you keep asking me this question I must tell you quite frankly and candidly that your loyalty will seem suspect. I have nothing further to add and now if you'll excuse me I have some payoffs I have to go collect."
Soon, yet another empire's bones will be bleaching in Afghanistan, the "Graveyard of Empires".
Don't say America wasn't warned ...
Specific words can be reliable class markers.
"Benchmarks". "Robust". Buzzwords of trendy and ineffectual management. Amoral white men in suits. MBA bull. Smoke to disguise their know-nothing rapaciousness.
Obama is evidently increasingly in the thrall of the free market salesmen. He has surrounded himself with Summers, Geithners and Emanuel. He is becoming more and more a shill. A mind is being wasted. Terrible.
Joe