Thus pronounces Adm. Michael G. Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, in a nicely detailed story by the LA Times' Liz Sly:
Does anyone else remember the childhood song, "This is the song that never ends. It goes on and on my friend."?
David Petraeus warns us of heavy US casualties to come in Afghanistan; God knows how many more Afghans are going to be killed and maimed as collateral damage. Meanwhile, the newly appointed mayor of the city of Marja paid his first visit there on Monday, facing what the WaPo's Rajiv Chandrasekaran makes evident, is a massive public-relations job - not at all made easier by the fact that the mayor spent the last 15 years in exile in Germany. Of course, we all can see how well Iraq has prospered under the governing of its own returned exiles (Nuri al-Maliki headlines that crew). Nor are the locals who met with the new mayor all that happy to see the Taliban gone. As the WaPo report notes:
"I would remind everyone of an essential truth: War is bloody and uneven. It's messy and ugly and incredibly wasteful, but that doesn't mean it isn't worth the cost."I'm sure the families of those killed will respond warmly to Mullen's solicitude. And General McChrystal was quick to convey to an "outraged" Hamid Karzai his "sorrow and regret."
Does anyone else remember the childhood song, "This is the song that never ends. It goes on and on my friend."?
David Petraeus warns us of heavy US casualties to come in Afghanistan; God knows how many more Afghans are going to be killed and maimed as collateral damage. Meanwhile, the newly appointed mayor of the city of Marja paid his first visit there on Monday, facing what the WaPo's Rajiv Chandrasekaran makes evident, is a massive public-relations job - not at all made easier by the fact that the mayor spent the last 15 years in exile in Germany. Of course, we all can see how well Iraq has prospered under the governing of its own returned exiles (Nuri al-Maliki headlines that crew). Nor are the locals who met with the new mayor all that happy to see the Taliban gone. As the WaPo report notes:
Their questions made clear that the Taliban still enjoys deep support here, while the Afghan government is almost universally loathed, illuminating the deep challenge facing Marines and civilian stabilization specialists as they try to establish basic civic administration.
"The Taliban provided us with a very peaceful environment," said Fakir Mohammed, 32, a tractor driver. "They did not bother us. We were very happy with them here."
Mohammed said police corruption and malfeasance led residents to support the insurgents. "They were not corrupt like the police," he said.
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