Congress and Afghanistan

”Never before have we asked so much, of so few, for so long,” said retired Army Gen. Jack Keane as he concluded his remarks before the House Armed Services Committee, a reminder of the costs of 8 years of war made before lawmakers and the public, most of whom have never served in uniform, much less combat, let alone in the current conflicts.br /But the hearing wasn’t about the troops; it was about what we should do next to fix the problem in Afghanistan and Pakistan and decrease the threat to the US. Key comments included:br /Gen. Keane said don’t give up. Send more troops, fast.br /Paul Pillar from Georgetown U want us to stick with what we’ve got, believing that sending more troops isn’t worth it-because there will always be room for a terrorist haven in that country.br /Another expert told the panel that the Taliban are clearly not a direct threat to us. They are not going to launch missiles at us, though they might “create indirect” threats to the country.br /Vice President Biden’s choice of limiting our exposure in Afghanistan by using drones and Special Operations troops to harass and kill the enemy drew fire from Republican BuckKeon, said proponents of this approach included “few if any who are military experts.”br /In short, it was politics as usual. Talk continues, and the troops will bear the burden.