Many Americans continue to scratch their heads when they hear about another casualty coming out of the war in Afghanistan. Why are we still there? When will our troops come home? Was it worth the loss? All of these questions are worthy answers especially when the 2,000th US soldier was killed this past Sunday.
Presidential debates are just days away and while many Americans have felt the blunt end of the economic stick, it's critical more than ever to discuss foreign policy. Of course many would believe topics like Iran, Syria, Israel, etc. are detrimental during the debates but nothing is more critical to discuss than the war in Afghanistan.
Let’s face it, if President Obama wants to claim how the killing of Bin Laden was a success, he will lose that debate immediately considering Al Qaeda has proven it is alive and kicking especially considering they were the organization involved in killing Ambassador Chris Stevens in Libya. But that alone will not assist Mitt Romney in defeating President Obama’s war strategy.
Of course President Obama will likely speak to the American people and have them believe that electing Mitt Romney would be like another four more years of President Bush. If President Obama decides to go that route, Mitt just needs to play a game of intellectual judo with our current President.
Mitt Romney has an opportunity during the upcoming debate however and that opportunity entails the reality of the war in Afghanistan under the Obama administration. Governor Romney should be allowed to ask a very simple question to the President—“More than two thirds of the US troops killed in Afghanistan were under your watch, why?”
As President Obama tippy-toes his way around the question, Mitt simply needs to turn on the offensive. This offensive should be filled with unquestionable facts.
Under this administration, timelines were publicly stated which psychologically bolstered the enemy. Rules of Engagements were enforced binding the hands of our warriors leaving many unnecessarily killed. An expedited execution of training to bolster the Afghan government force (military, police, etc.) was poorly implemented leaving little to no time to properly “vet” those being trained causing a horrific “Green on Blue attack” debacle.
And the scary part behind the current war in Afghanistan ever since President Obama has taken office is this: Less offensive, outside the wire, operations have occurred under the current administration than during the previous administration. But even with less offensive operations outside the wire, the death toll of American lives skyrocketed in the past four years proving the Obama strategy for Afghanistan is a failed strategy.
Afghanistan is key for Governor Romney. More Americans have a connection with the war in Afghanistan than they do in Syria, Libya, Iran, etc. And truth be told, whether anyone likes it or not, the current Administration’s foreign policy starts with Afghanistan considering that is where the majority of a concentrated population of Americans live abroad today. Really, how many countries outside the US have a minimum of 60,000 Americans living in it today? Only a handful and they're not Syria, Libya, Iran, etc.
President Obama cannot win a debate when it comes to Afghanistan. President Obama cannot win anything when it comes to Afghanistan—through debate or the war. But, if the facts about Afghanistan are collected and disseminated to the American people, Mitt Romney can seize at least one debate without question—the debate which cost more American service members' lives under this administration—the Afghan War.
Kerry Patton, a combat disabled veteran, is the author of Sociocultural Intelligence: The New Discipline of Intelligence Studies and the children’s book American Patriotism. You can follow him on Facebook or at kerry-patton.com/.
