There continues to be three fundamental issues I keep pounding away on because way too many people just don't understand them.
1. For much of the first half of the war, it was not a USA-dominated operation on the ground. As a matter of fact, until they proved they couldn't unburden themselves of caveats and make an honest attempt to fill the CJSOR, there were as many NATO/coalition forces as USA forces.
2. There was no "Obama surge." The planning for that began in earnest at CENTCOM and the Joint Staff in late '07, was firmly set by early '08, and began deployment in late '09, with a full head of steam going in to Obama's inauguration. Anyone who tried to get a flight out of Qatar and in to AFG in late '08 and early '09 can tell you that story. Again, click the tab for the details. All President Obama is was not stop it, put his scent on it, and let it happen - until ...
3. The West Point speech of December 2009 was when Obama signaled that we were going to quit, to start the long goodbye - and so with conditions based plans in the dustbin, we slid in to the intellectually corrupt calendar based retreat - forcing good people to try to make the best of a mess they were given. When the good people got Obama to move off his summer of 2011 withdraw to summer/fall of 2014, we may have just given the ANSF a chance. It may have been too early like it was in IRQ to go home, but we'll see. Oh, yes, we'll see.
Like I put in a comment SEPCOR, I will keep beating this drum. I will not let the false narrative pushed by the present administration's apologists stand unopposed. I will not go quietly in to that sweet night. No, I will rage, rage, rage against the fading light. I was there. I was part of that process. It is my duty to tell this story and to make sure the facts are out there, regardless if people want to believe it or not.
A picture is worth a thousand words, and after yesterday's post - I think I'll just let the picture tell the rest.
Hat tip DefenseOne.
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