Do you remember when the Bush administration started the saying, “We’ll fight them over there so we don’t have to fight them over here.”  Well, as preposterous as that saying was, there wasn’t much “blowback” from our “liberal media” coming after it was infused into the propoganda “machine” to justify our war mongering in the middle east.  The reality, as with most things republican, is almost the exact opposite.  Yesterday, as I was driving home from work I listened to part of an interview with someone who is “high up” in the so-called Homeland Security department.  His response to the question, “What are the chances the United States will face an attempted terrorist attack in the next 6 months?” was, “CERTAIN.”  That is to say, the more we “fight ‘them’ over there, the greater the chances ‘they’ will fight us over here.

That only makes sense if you try to look at the “big picture” from the eyes of the so-called “enemy.”  They do not have the firepower to defeat the U.S. in a traditional battle.  Therefore, it’s like the guerilla warfare days of Viet Nam all over again – “OVER THERE” – with the nuance that the so-called terrorists are throwing in which is indiscriminate attacks on the American homeland “OVER HERE.”  So far, they’ve failed on a couple of instances where hundreds could have been killed – the now infamous “shoe bomber,” and the “underpants bomber.”  As serious as it is, for some reason I have a hard time keeping a straight face when I think of the “underpants bomber” and the aftermath of his failed attempt.  While trying to understand why someone would choose that “method,” I also envisioned, with the proposed advent of the x-ray machines set up to “catch” the next “underpants” bomber, we will soon be attacked by the “orifice” bomber.  They’re leaving little to our imagination these days. That all being said, a closer examination of the American policy in Iraq and Afganistan post Obama, might explain why the United States is still on high alert for this “CERTAIN” terrorist attempt coming in the next 6 months.

During the years of the Bush administration people in Iraq and Afganistan learned to FEAR the US forces every bit as much as they feared the Taliban in Afganistan or Saddam Hussein in Iraq.  Doors being kicked in, families being rousted from their beds at night, family members becoming “collateral damage” (that’s a U.S. term), and “suspects” disappearing for lenghts of time that could include forever is a policy which leaves behind BITTERNESS no matter what the language or nationality of the victims or the perpetrators for that matter.  Combine that with the KNOWN FACT that when your family member becomes an “enemy combatant” of the U.S. and gets “captured” they are destined for what Bush/Cheney famously termed ENHANCED INTERROGATION. Now, enhanced interrogation Bush/Cheney style didn’t even take into account whether or not the so-called “enemy combatant” was a credible member of al Qaeda, the Taliban, or whatever.  The U.S. forces willingly paid incredibly dishonest people THOUSANDS of dollars for “TIPS” as to who the “enemy” really was.  That’s because, JUST LIKE VIET NAM when you invade another country on the DISENGENUOUSLY FALSE PRETENSE that you’re going to “protect” them – but you have no idea who “them” are – you start relying on people who you TOTALLY don’t understand for “actionable intelligence.” 

In addition to that, EVERYONE in Iraq knew what was going on at Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo – it just took some remarkably stupid soldiers to take a bunch of pictures (many of which still have not been shown – thanks to President Obama) to let the rest of us naive people who actually had bought into the idea of the U.S. being the “beacons” of human rights to understand the reality of our own government’s CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR! And, for those of you out there who believe that President Obama’s pledge that “we don’t torture,” fixed everything with the rest of the world, I believe it wasn’t worth the breath he used to say it.  As I’ve stated MANY TIMES on this site, Obama’s decision to, for all intents and purposes, pardon Bush/Cheney/Rumsfeld/Yoo/Addington/Tenet/ and all the others who may or may not have been complicit in HORRIFIC torture was a “game changer” for many, including me (I just finished the book “Game Change” – definitely worth the read) and has left many around the world questioning what’s still going on at the “rendition sites” which still exist to this day to harbor America’s “enemy combatants.” 

So, for some strange reason we (Americans) continue to hang on to the idea that we’re going to be looked upon as “liberators.”  Now, that’s one of the cruelest jokes ever played on United States citizens by our leaders as they lied us into what is approaching an eight year occupation of Iraq and which conceivably will be our next “Korea,” along with what’s looking like an endless commitment to Afganistan. The TRUTH is there was no al Qaeda in Iraq until our troops showed up.  The al Qaeda who attacked us on 9/11 did so because we had troops stationed on Saudi soil – the bin Sultan Air Base – which didn’t go over too well with the fanatics associated with Osama bin Laden. (almost all of the 9/11 attackers were Saudi’s)  Keep in mind, these fanatics were FINE with us when we were helping them drive the Soviets out of Afganistan during the eighties, but – just like with Saddam Hussein, who we armed with all kinds of weapons – (it was the Reaganites who did this, including Donald Rumsfeld himself) – we Americans will find a way to support our military industrial complex in solving world problems – ONE WAY OR THE OTHER.

I don’t know what it’s going to take to get the message across to the American people who might then hold our leaders accountable.  Our presence in both Iraq and Afganistan is creating more enemies than we can imagine.  We continue to make indiscriminate bombings on suspected terrorist cells, seemingly with little or no concern for the “collateral” damage.  I wonder how it sounds to someone in Afganistan to have their young son or daughter be referred to as “collateral damage?”  I know how I’d feel.  I’m pretty sure I’d join the Taliban if one of my children fell into that category and I was a citizen over there.  That’s what we’ve been doing for eight years.  Making it EASY for the Taliban and al Qaeda to recruit young fanatics who we have taught to HATE us by our very own STUPID actions.

I’ve read “Three Cups of Tea” and “Stones into Schools” by Greg Mortenson.  The man has the right formula for creating peace in the Muslim world.  I appreciate that his books are required reading for our military leaders before they are put into the Afganistan “theater.” And, after reading these books I understand how President Obama could feel a sense of obligation to the Afgan people.  But, does he really think that their behavior is going to change to the point that the Afgans will forget what has transpired over the previous nine years?  There are reports that torture is still happening at the air base “prisons” we have secretly stashed throughout Central Asia.  Supposedly, people in Afganistan refer to the Bagram detention facility as Obama’s Guantanamo.  While it’s honorable to attempt to “win hearts and minds,” it’s very probable that the damage’s been done.

I believe the prudent way to win the hearts and minds of the Afgan people would have been to make a public showing of our disgust for the actions of Bush/Cheney et al.  Publicly investigate them and pull our troops out of both Iraq and Afganistan, and funnel what money we can afford to send to Afganistan and Iraq to their respective governments with strict accountability requirements that the money go toward repairing the damage done by our presence in their countries for the past (nearly) decade.  The reason they’re attempting to fight us OVER HERE is because we continue to leave our troops OVER THERE.  They are virtually helpless to remove our troops.  But, they can – AND WILL – continue to show their displeasure with the United States by trying to attack us over here until we “get the message.”

I could (and probably will) write another post regarding the so-called “surge” in Iraq.  I’ve mentioned my thoughts in passing many times in previous posts – but, I have NO DOUBT that the surge has only put off the inevitable struggle for power between the Sunni and Shia in Iraq.  The invasion itself has created a great dilemma for the U.S. government.  If we help the majority Shia, they will eventually “return the favor” to the Sunni’s that they received when Saddam was in power.  Additionally, I believe they will form an alliance with the Iranians (which is probably already under way) that will further demonstrate how stupid Bush/Cheney were when they initiated this ridiculous misadventure and further destabilize the entire region.  Barack Obama is following the Bush “timetable” for withdrawal – almost to a tee – and, much to my chagrine – with the prospect of a force in the neighborhood of 50,000 “NON-COMBAT” troops there for the indefinite future if David Patreaus and Ray Odierno (our Generals) have their way.  So far, Obama hasn’t shown me the kahoonas to stand up to the generals, and I don’t forsee it happening any time soon.  Everytime he uses the term “NON COMBAT” troops regarding Iraq, I get disappointed.  I was hoping for something more genuine than that.  What are we going to do, leave a bunch of cooks and doctors over there?  What in the H are “non combat” troops in Iraq?  Are they without weapons?  I seriously doubt it. Someday, I hope our leaders figure out that as long as we continue fighting them “OVER THERE” we’re more likely to have them fighting us “OVER HERE.”