U.S. diplomat resigns over Afghan war, puts Obama on hot seat

Smashing the Obama Doctrine. Mr. Hoh has presented the American people with the most eloquent case for withdrawal from Afghanistan to date in his now public resignation letter, which should ratchet up the political heat on Obama. This just might be a watershed moment for liberals and the anti-war contingent because Hoh’s message may have inflicted irreparable damage to the Obama Doctrine, which is primarily based on the notion that Afghanistan is a “war of necessity.” Hoh is adamant that the real front in the war against al-Qaeda and the Taliban is in Pakistan, not Afghanistan.

Our reasons for being in Afghanistan are specious. We won’t defeat al-Qaeda or the Taliban there (or in Pakistan.) All we’re doing is making enemies, and a mess as well. There are no concrete goals and no exit strategy. This is just like the Vietnam War, which ostensibly was fought to stop communism from taking over in Asia. Well, Vietnam is communist today and the world didn’t end. Nor did communism spread elsewhere.

So why are we “chasing ghosts in the thin dry air”?

Rich Man’s War — Steve Earle

Bobby had an eagle and a flag tattooed on his arm
Red white and blue to the bone when he landed in Kandahar
Left behind a pretty young wife and a baby girl
A stack of overdue bills and went off to save the world
Been a year now and he’s still there
Chasin’ ghosts in the thin dry air
Meanwhile back at home the finance company took his car
Just another poor boy off to fight a rich man’s war

If military justifications for a war make no sense, then other reasons need to be examined. Who profits from war? Does the US have an economy based on war? It sure seems that way sometimes.