Ten Years Too Long in Afghanistan

By Rep. Barbara Lee
Huffington Post
August 4, 2010

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rep-barbara-lee/ten-years-too-long-in-afg_b_671098.html

Soon the war in Afghanistan will enter its tenth year.
Already the longest war in our nation's history, one
thing remains clear -- there is no end in sight.

Nine years ago, we were told we had to go to Afghanistan
to capture Osama bin Laden and destroy al Qaeda with
virtually no discussion of the potential consequences of
invading Afghanistan would be. Few people imagined we
would have nearly 100,000 troops there a decade later,
despite the fact that the CIA estimates that there may
be less than 100 al Qaeda in that country.

Americans are asking some pointed questions. What is our
mission? How is it going to be achieved? And when are
the troops coming home?

We learned some disturbing answers to those questions in
the Rolling Stone feature article about Gen. Stanley
McChrystal. While the subsequent controversy centered on
McChrystal's comments and subsequent resignation, many
overlooked the stunning revelations about the war in
Afghanistan. According to senior military officials
quoted in the article, our strategy is not succeeding
and the outcome of the war will leave questions about
what we achieved. Major General Bill Mayville, Chief of
Operations for the war, was quoted as saying: "It's not
going to look like a win, smell like a win or taste like
a win. This is going to end in an argument."

Additionally, the recent documents released by Wikileaks
only validate the growing anxiety of the American people
with the direction of the war in Afghanistan.

A new USA Today/Gallup poll found that 57 percent
support a timetable for removing troops from Afghanistan
and 62 percent believe the war in Afghanistan is going
"very or moderately badly."

It's not difficult to see why people are so pessimistic.
The Afghan government is plagued by incompetence and
corruption. As President Karzai makes ambitious promises
to reform before the international community, we
continue to see reports of officials within his
Administration actively undermining U.S. counter-
corruption investigations.

If that weren't enough, the Afghan security force is in
shambles with high rates of attrition and defection. Our
recent offensive in Marjah has been less successful than
expected, and our operation for Kandahar -- a city that
many regard as key to securing the country -- has been
postponed. Finally, to date, just over 1000 servicemen
and women have lost their lives.

Our men and women have performed with incredible courage
and commitment -- but they have been put in an
impossible situation. Tragically, July has now become
the deadliest month for American forces since the war
began.

I wish I could believe that if we stay in Afghanistan, a
year or even five years from now, the country will have
a stable, functioning government. But I see no evidence
that this will be the case. We will likely see the
generals come back to us in a year and ask for more time
and more troops -- regardless of the situation is
getting better or worse.

Let's face it: If the Congress allows it, this will be
an endless war. Enough is enough. We need to end this
war now.

The U.S. has no choice but to pursue a political
solution. We must reduce the size if our military
footprint and engage with all relevant local and
regional actors. Our goal should be to use our
substantial political, economic, and diplomatic pressure
to ensure that the Afghanistan government does not
accept any political settlement in which the Taliban
fails to commit to upholding the human rights outlined
in the Afghan constitution, and renounce support for al
Qaeda.

Last week, I introduced legislation to prevent an
escalation and responsibly end the war by limiting
funding to the safe and orderly withdrawal of our troops
and military contractors from Afghanistan. This
legislation already has strong support and received 100
votes when I proposed it as an amendment.

Nine years ago, I was the lone voice in this effort. Now
there are many more of us speaking with one voice to
bring about a responsible end to this war. This was a
step in the right direction. And each step brings us
closer to ending this war.
___________

Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA) represent the 9th Congressional District of California
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