National Journal Blog - 14 March 2012

Col. W. Patrick Lang Responds to How Should the U.S. Military Respond to the Afghanistan Killings??.

pl

Comments

[William R. Cumming]

Too early to know the proper response! If not acting alone is this the Afghanistan My Lai and will there be a Peers Commission?

[Matthew]

When faced with failure, just enlarge the problem. See http://www.haaretz.com/news/middle-east/report-u-s-asked-russia-to-warn-iran-of-last-chance-to-avoid-military-strike-1.418613

BTW, who knew that Russia was our water boy?

[Charles I]

One thing they shouldn't do,is what I heard both Hilary Clinton and our Minister of Defence Frankly Unctuous, er, pardon me, Peter McKay said when apologizing.

They both started out by insisting on the quality of our troops and training, caliber of our men and women in uniform, respect for the afghan people blah blah blah. I don't dispute that today. But all they might have said about us is omg how awful, we'll prosecute, remediate and offer reparations, let us pray. . .

When I hear that,I have the same reaction as when hearing the now standard qualified form apology "IF I have offended anybody I'd apologize IF anybody's offended.

All NJ responders are correct, the fat ladies have sung and gone some time ago. Shame to have to wait it out til the end of 2014, tho it'd be handy, isn't Iran next to Afghanistan?

[turcopolier]

WRC

My Lai involved a commissioned officer who took his troops into a situation in which they nassacred civilians under his leadership. This seems to be a matter of an NCO acting alone. pl

[Trent]

'Do the political science "types" think these actions are sublimations of deeper feelings of nationalism and alienation from a stratified economy?'
Brilliant. Hilarious.

[The beaver]

Matthew

Haaretz (and now Bloomberg following suit) quoting a Russian business newspaper owned by an exiled Oligarch and managed by a former politician.

Some propaganda going on!!!
I doubt the Russian FM will do the dirty work
Here is another version:
http://www.jpost.com/IranianThreat/News/Article.aspx?ID=261804&R=R1

"The invasion will happen before the year's end," the source told Kommersant. "The Israelis are, in effect, blackmailing Obama: either he supports the war, or he risks losing the support [of the Jewish lobby]" the year of US presidential elections.

[The Pagan]

Col,

According to the Boston Globe, “The first chapter of Petraeus's manual calls for a "force ratio" of 25 counterinsurgents (here meaning US, allied, and Iraqi soldiers and police) per 1,000 residents.” (http://www.boston.com/news/education/higher/articles/2007/01/28/the_petraeus_doctrine/). The CIA estimates that there about 30 million residents in Afghanistan (https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/af.html).

With a little algebra it would seem that the General needed about 750, 000 counterinsurgents. So we can conclude that according to the Army’s official manual the General’s strategy was doomed from the start.

I am not nearly smart enough to criticize an Ivy League PhD but what was he thinking?

Regards,

[Fred]

The real question would be does the 'Jewish lobby' actually control the voters. Judging by the labor movement the answer is a big no. In this case the lobby controls the lobbyists and large donors, unions control the precinct delegates that elect political party officials (not the elected representative), neither control the rank and file voters.

[jonst]

What, if anything, does anyone here make of the report that Marines were asked to meet with Panetta sans their weapons?

[The beaver]

@ Fred

Hence my comment on propaganda.
In business, when the competition wants to have the upper hand, FUD is used. In this case, well, use any avenue to "influence"

[Tyler]

Will anyone else be shocked when the Army's prosecution team insists that the multiple deployments, traumatic brain injury, and domestic chaos have nothing to do with this sergeant's mental state?

[Tyler]

http://abcnews.go.com/International/us-marines-afghanistan-told-disarm-defense-secretary-panetta/story?id=15917672

[Charles I]

um, there's always a potential drug angle too if I'm involved, that:

http://www.naturalnews.com/035232_US_troops_psychiatric_drugs_Afghanistan.html