Tuesday, September 01, 2009
George Will and his call for a "pullout" from Afghanistan
The pages and airwaves of the media are filled today with the "news" that conservative columnist George Will has called for a "pullout" from Afghanistan. Let's see what Will actually called for, shall we?
America should do only what can be done from offshore, using intelligence, drones, cruise missiles, airstrikes and small, potent Special Forces units, concentrating on the porous 1,500-mile border with Pakistan, a nation that actually matters."Gosh, how progressive. How noble. Let's keep killing the natives, but let's do so in a way that makes sure that none of our boys (and girls) get killed. That war conducted with "drones, cruise missiles and airstrikes" is absolutely guaranteed to kill far more innocent civilians than ground war troubles Will, as it troubles Obama and the American ruling class in general, not a whit. They aren't our innocent civilians, after all. (Please note: I am not condoning the killing of any Afghans, Pakistanis, Iraqis, Somalis, or anyone else by making this statement about "innocent civilians," merely noting the standard by which things are widely judged.)
The media are making out like the "right" and the "left" are joining forces against the war in Afghanistan, as if they have the same position. But Will isn't calling for an end to the war, he's calling for an end to the ground war. As just noted, that's potentially worse for the Afghan people. If you want to see an end to the war, period, here's a first step.
