Herspective

The Afghan War

America's military leaders recently asked Washington for increased numbers of troops in Afghanistan in response to greater insurgent attacks.  The Obama administration, has authorized the troop surge.  How do you feel about increased US presence in Afghanistan?  Do you feel that the U.S. presence in Afghanistan is more justified than the U.S. presence in Iraq?

Deputized

I do care about the war in Afghanistan. The truth is, I care about a lot of things that I just don’t have time to do anything about. That’s why I pay John Kerry. I feel the same way about my pediatrician. When I was pregnant with Summer, I researched and interviewed and finally chose our extremely smart (and handsome) doctor. Now I simply do whatever he tells me. Because if I didn’t trust him, I’d have to think really hard about several hundred decisions I make every day. Can 10-month-old Oscar eat that artfully marketed and beautifully labeled “baby” yogurt? No, because Dr. J. told me no dairy before age one. Would anything bad happen to Oscar if he ate that yogurt? No, of course not. But I have to have some kind of system, and this is what works for me. I trust Dr. J., and I trust my extremely smart (and handsome) war-veteran senator to do the right thing in Afghanistan.

P.S. I wrote this post before the Kerry-Karzai thing; Meredith bumped the topic for the Nobel.

P.P.S. First Al Gore, then my pediatrician and John Kerry. Do you think so many references to handsome men who are not my husband is a problem? Let me just put this out there: my husband is a seriously handsome dude.

As is Meredith's husband.

My gosh! What is wrong with me?

What I Know Is a Blog Entry; What I Don't Know Is a Book

I don’t think anyone knows what the heck to do about the Afghan War.

Here are some things I (think I) know and don’t know. I know we shouldn’t decide whether or not to fight a war on the basis of public opinion.

I know that generals know a lot more about what needs to be done than any politician or reporter. But sometimes generals on the ground lose track of the bigger picture and get convinced that there’s inherent meaning in what they’re doing. Then it’s up to the public and politicians and reporters to make sure that what the generals are doing is still worth doing.

I know we mess around too much in other countries, which is how things got as bad as they are now. What’s going on now in Afghanistan has its sources in funding and training we (U.S. C.I.A.) gave to mujahideen decades ago.

I know that we’ve gone from surgically attacking Al Queda (our stated mission after 9/11) to battling the Taliban, an endless morass.

I know that I’m sick of trying to explain to my children why U.S. soldiers are fighting the wars that they’re fighting, wars that make no sense at the level at which six-year-olds understand justice.

But I don’t know what the right thing to do is. I feel sorry for the people who have to decide, and who have to lay American lives on the line in doing so. I don’t think it’s clear at all.