A timeline.

After watching the VP debate, one major issue I paid attention to because, I’ve lived in it was the Iraq AND Afghanistan issues. Granted I think the candidates did a great job. However, you cannot establish a black and white time line to a troop withdrawal. That’s  like saying I can see into the future and I know my time line will be accurate.

You don’t know how fast or slow Iraqi Army development will continue although it has grown so much with the assistance of our dedicated service members.  When Coalition Forces rolled into Kuwait, we were greeted as liberators. You won’t ever be greeted as liberators in an insurgency and that was never said.

Many think Iraq is done and we should be out and in Afghanistan. Have a seat and light a cigar because we are in the “red zone” (football speak) with Iraq and to pull out before its time is a certain sentence of failure including all of the professional work recently completed. Al-Qaida was the focus in Iraq and there are very small trails of them still present but to set a time line would only mean the insurgent power would hide and wait, which was their initial plan to outlast the American will in Iraq in the first place but a surge destroyed that idea, and them. We need to push through the red zone in Iraq where it could be violent if we don’t and continue the course with Afghanistan. Watch, after a short time Afghanistan will slow down. Why? Because at this time of year is the harvesting period for opium and they are very protective of their opium.  We will continue to succeed in Iraq as long as we continue making gains and the Iraqi’s continue to take issues into their own hands. When is it time to leave, soon, but not defined enough to build a definitive time line.

Comments

[anon]

Very clear analysis. Please consider politics as a second career.

[anon]

The US has kept military in Japan and Germany since WW2. How are Iraq and Afghanistan different?

[Sue]

Palin gets it -

[Kathy Moriarty]

I agree that maybe you should consider politics as a second career. You would not be corrupted by the politician mentality, could certainly articulate the issues, and would actually answer the questions presented to you. The Republican VP nominee is not the "country first"
that I would have expected from John McCain. It's frightening. Thank you for your great service and the support you give to Any Soldier. My family has supported the program for 4 yrs. and have visited Walter Reed.
God bless all of you.
Kathy

[GunnNutt]

We can't vote for Maj. P (yet), but you can vote for other Veterans this November. Check out

http://iraqvetsforcongress.com/

Iraq Veterans for Congress!

[Jim]

Agree with your statement, Maj Pain: "When is it time to leave, soon, but not defined enough to build a definitive time line." I saw the same patterns in this Afghanistan timeline at http://www.timeline-help.com/afghanistan-timeline.html If you take a closer look at the Afghanistan history, your opinion about a timeline for leaving will be right I think.