In the article:
http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2009-12-04/the-new-anti-war-right/
“The New Anti-War Right”, by Reihan Salam
Rep. Jason Chaffetz is quoted.
If you read what Rep. Chaffetz said:
http://chaffetz.house.gov/2009/11/afghanistan-mr-president-my-recommendations.shtml
The question is do we have a new “anti-war right” or do we have a bunch of conservatives that want to avoid war, and if required, go to win?
My favorite quote from Chaffetz:
“Mr. President, go big or go home. Our Soldiers, Airmen, Sailors and Marines are trained to fight and WIN wars. They are the best trained and equipped fighting force in the world. But we’ve tied their hands. The American people want us to give our troops everything they need to win so they can come home. In short, give them everything they need or bring the troops home.”
the other key point I like is this:
“If our mission in Afghanistan is simply to protect the populace and build the nation, then I believe the time has come to bring our troops home.”
While President Obama is Commander-in-chief, (until we get smart enough and vote him out in 2012), and we should be supportive of our troops in harms way, I hope more people will think twice as to the direction the President is going.
Moe Lane
Steve Maley
Dan McLaughlin
Neil Stevens
Daniel Horowitz
Comment at thedailybeast re: Chaffetz v War
arc_ut (Diary) Friday, December 4th at 12:30PM EST (link)As usually, there are many comments, good and bad, but the one that caught my eye was this one, particularly, since I know the poster.
Quote from response (again Not me)
“My father was the head of the CIA’s Middle East bureau during Bill
Clinton’s administration, and prior to that in the 1980′s he was in
charge of all CIA efforts to help Afghanistan defeat the Soviet Union.
Having personally done so, my father has had first hand in-country
knowledge of Afghanistan since the days of the Mujahadeen until this very day…as he is currently right now in McChrystal’s ISAF HQ today as I am typing this.
Last summer, Jason Chaffetz was assigned by Congressional leadership to participate in a fact finding in-country visit to Afghanistan. Because I worked on Jason’s election campaign and he knew me and of my father,
Chaffetz approached me and asked me to set up a meeting with my father, who is now retired, because he (Chaffetz) wanted to hear as many independent opinions about the history and situation in Afghanistan as possible, to prepare himself before he went over there without having to rely only on what the administration and congressional party leaders were telling him.
That method…researching out and finding as many independent opinions as possible…is a hallmark of Jason Chaffetz and it is why I worked to help elect him. It is why this article CORRECTLY describes Jason as “known for his independent streak” and why here in Utah we helped Republican Jason Chaffetz defeat a 6 term REPUBLICAN incumbent who wasn’t independent and didn’t think quite as much for himself.
Unfortunately, to write off Chaffetz, who has blasted his own party
many times, as being motivated by “merely jingoistic, empty headed nonsense” is to expose one’s own failure to do their homework.”
Another view
arc_ut (Diary) Friday, December 4th at 11:25PM EST (link)http://deidrehenderson.blogspot.com/2009/11/afghanistan-go-big-or-go-home.html