(RawStory) – In an address to the nation on Tuesday, President Obama declared, “As commander in chief, I have determined that it is in our vital national interests to send an additional 30,000 troops to Afghanistan. … After 18 months, our troops will begin to come home.” For Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-OH), however, if the ultimate goal is to get out of Afghanistan, then the sooner the better.
Update at bottom: Only 100 Al Qaeda fighters remain in Afghanistan, while number of private Pentagon contractors tops 104,000
By Muriel Kane
December 2nd, 2009
“Why are we still in Afghanistan?” Kucinich asked on the floor of the House of Representatives on Wednesday morning. “Al-Qaeda has been routed. Our occupation fuels a Taliban insurgency. The more troops we send, the more resistance we meet.”
“The people of Afghanistan don’t want to be saved by us,” Kucinich continued. “They want to be saved from us. Our presence and our Predator drones kill countless innocents, creating more US enemies and destabilizing Pakistan.”
Kucinich has been expressing opposition to a “surge” in Afghanistan since last spring, regularly insisting that at a time of economic crisis the money being spent on war would be better applied to basic needs back home.
When General Stanley McChrystal asked in September for more troops, Kucinich issued a statement saying, “If the Obama administration is determined to ‘win the war’ in Afghanistan, then we should be prepared for another Vietnam. An unending military commitment is unacceptable to the American people and it should be unacceptable to Congress. If the Obama administration refuses to bring this war to an end, then Congress should use the power of the purse, granted by the Constitution, to end the war and bring our troops home.”
“We’ve played all sides in Afghanistan and all sides want us out,” Kucinich concluded on Wednesday. “They don’t want our presence, our control, our troops, our drones, our way of life. We’re fighting the wrong war, in the wrong place at the wrong time. What part of “get out” do we not understand?”
UPDATE: $300 MILLION FOR EVERY AL QAEDA MEMBER IN AFGHANISTAN
President Barack Obama made the decision to send some 30,000 additional troops to Afghanistan despite being informed that the country is now host to only 100 Al Qaeda fighters, ABC News reports.
A senior U.S. intelligence official told ABCNews.com the approximate estimate of 100 al Qaeda members left in Afghanistan reflects the conclusion of American intelligence agencies and the Defense Department. The relatively small number was part of the intelligence passed on to the White House as President Obama conducted his deliberations.
ABC News estimates that, with the surge included, there will be a ratio of 1,000 US troops for every Al Qaeda member in the country. The cost of the war will work out to $300 million for every Al Qaeda fighter.
And Justin Elliott at TalkingPointsMemo reported Wednesday that the US now has more than 104,000 defense contractors in the country, which exceeds the number of regular troops on the ground, which will be 98,000 after the surge is completed.
Source: RawStory
dprogram.wordpress.com 
Dennis Kucinich is about one of the only politicians who gets it. The US Government still has not proved that Al-Qaeda was responsible for the events of 9/11/01. They can “say” it all they want, but they have not proved it. So far the evidence points in another direction. But that is another story. So, at first I fell for it, after reading the PNAC paper and “needing” a new Pearl Harbor event, knowing Osama bin Laden was associated with the CIA, went back to bed. So it within a few weeks I saw what was going to happen was all based on lies. A little more research quickly demonstrated that it was the control of other’s resources, greed and the quest for power that were the true motivations.
Did the USA ever declare war on Afghanistan and its rulers? If not, hasn’t everything that has happened there been a war crime of aggression? I don’t forget that the Taliban offered to turn over Osama if the USA could show any proof. There was more going on there than just the pipe line deal. Sure that is what is being protected by the forces of the USA today as well as the Kabul sector. With the fall of the Taliban the rise of drug production soared to historical records. There are reasons behind this too. Sure the USA says it is trying to stop it, but it is big business, one the CIA has been involved in for years. The streets of L.A. are witness to this back in the 1980s. What are the true American interests in Afghanistan? What Obama spews is dribble.
For the rise of the mercenary we can go back to Reagan. I saw have it creped in replacing soldiers jobs with contractors who got paid much more than the soldier. My problem was that the soldiers did better jobs back then than the contractors. With the end of the Cold War the smoke and mirrors got thicker to justify the military cut backs. Sure bases were closed, but others were built behind the scenes, numbers of troops declined but the “contractor” numbers swelled. Then came Bush II and the gloves were off as far as spending and reaching for Global Domination. Everything was set in place and each year more was spent on the military as was spelled by the PNAC plan. When one understands who these PNAC people are, what their agenda is it points to one group and their associates or shall we call them lackeys. War is big business. It is also evil. War, especially when it has been conducted so poorly so that it becomes perpetual in nature, is a scam. There are a lot of things that need to be done to fix the USA. When it comes to the military, the contractors must be removed from the payroll of the people. The cost needs to known and a method of payment established. They keep getting a blank check. These checks have bounced for several years now. It will soon come to roost and along with all the bailouts to the elitists will destroy the USA from within. Their empire is falling fast. They are doing everything wrong to save it. Are their leaders stupid? Or just crooked? Maybe a certain small nuclear country that has secretly placed dozens of nuclear weapons in their cities is holding them hostage and is extorting them to do their evil bidding? One where duel citizenship is allowed even, one whom have members in the PNAC.
I’d leave a comment, but I see that you do not print so why bother