Anti-Warriors Respectfully Wait to Crap On Obama's Afghan Surge

The anti-war movement responds to President Obama's speech:
Statement from the ANSWER Coalition

RHETORIC AND REALITY:
MASKING WAR ESCALATION AS A WITHDRAWAL PLAN

The U.S. cannot “win” the war in Afghanistan. It was losing the war
when Barack Obama took office. In March 2009, President Obama ordered
another 30,000 troops. Rather than reverse the outcome, the U.S. and
NATO effort lost even more ground. Now President Obama has ordered
another 30,000 troops to Afghanistan.

Attempting to deflect growing opposition to the announcement of his
dramatic escalation of the war in Afghanistan, President Obama is
simultaneously claiming that U.S. troops will start to be withdrawn in
July 2011.

The Generals and Admirals, and now the White House, are unwilling to
accept responsibility for a military setback. The President knows they
cannot win and yet is unwilling to leave. Since no leader is willing to
take responsibility, they are instead sending thousands more to their
deaths.

Bush and Cheney ordered the invasion thinking it would be easy going.
They thought Iraq would be easy, too. They were going to wipe out the
governments in Iran, Syria and North Korea. This colonial-type fantasy,
nourished by “great nation” arrogance and the acquiescence of a caste
of corrupt politicians in Congress, set the stage for the current
catastrophe of a war without end.

After eight years of war, more than 140 armed insurgent groups of
Afghans now exist as a response to the invasion and they control large
parts of the country. The people in Afghanistan perceive the occupation
as a colonial-type takeover of their country. September 11 was a
pretext, but there were no Afghans or Iraqis who hijacked the planes.
The people of Afghanistan, like the people in Vietnam, will never
accept foreign military occupation in their country.

In the 1968 election Nixon ran on a platform of a “secret peace plan”
for Vietnam. In reality, Nixon's “peace plan” meant more bombing of
Vietnam, expansion of the war into Cambodia, and “Vietnamization” —
the building up of the South Vietnamese puppet army under the direction
of U.S. “advisors.” The puppet army was supposed to do the fighting and
dying in the place of U.S. troops in an increasingly unpopular war.

The new plan for Afghanistan calls for more bombing and drone attacks,
and “Afghanization” — the building up of a puppet Afghan army trained
and led by U.S. commanders. This follows President Obama's escalation
of massive bombing of the people of Pakistan.

BUSH POLICY — OBAMA POLICY

On Jan. 20, the day that Barack Obama took the oath of office, a
government helicopter carrying George W. Bush lifted off and made the
ceremonial flight away from the nation's capital, signaling the end of
one era and the start of a new administration.

It was a remarkable event to witness. As the Bush helicopter passed
over the inaugural throng, millions of people on the ground started
cheering spontaneously. The official pomp of the transfer of power was
overwhelmed by the euphoria of those who hated Bush and his policies.

But was there a transfer of power? The personalities change, but the institutions of militarism, war and empire remain intact.

Since Obama took over as president, the number of U.S. troops in
Afghanistan has nearly doubled, and that's before the new deployment of
30,000 more soldiers.

Today, less than a year since Bush departed, there are actually more
combined U.S. military forces occupying Iraq and Afghanistan than at
any time during Bush's tenure. Between official military forces,
private mercenaries and other contractors, by the middle of 2010 there
will be nearly a half-million U.S. personnel in the two countries.

At a time of deep economic crisis, with tens of millions out of work
and losing their homes, the cost of the wars and occupations in
Afghanistan and Iraq is already running at over $225 billion per year
or $1.2 billion every two days. Escalating the war will escalate that
cost.

The war is not about “the security of the people of the United States
being at stake.” If it was, there could be no talk about exit
strategies and announced plans for withdrawal.

Starting today, there will be a growing escalation of anti-war protests
in the United States. Tonight and tomorrow there are demonstrations
across the country.

On Saturday, March 20, 2010, tens of thousands will march in
Washington, D.C., with coinciding mass actions in San Francisco and Los
Angeles.

Real change comes from below. It comes from the millions who are
suffering from unemployment, foreclosure, evictions and poverty. It
comes from the young people who are being driven from college because
of soaring tuition. The children of working-class families are the ones
who do the bleeding and the killing, and they are told they do it for
“national security.”

This is not our war. This is a war for empire, one that has gone very
badly for the occupying force. How many more will die for the U.S. to
avoid the appearance of defeat?