Dear Mr. President:

You have all of us hopelessly mired in Afghanistan.  I hate to say it but a lot of us told you so.  No real pleasure in saying that. In a previous post I wrote:

“You have just stated your intent to increase our presence in Afghanistan by 17,000 troops very soon, with more to follow.  I think this is a mistake and that you will regret this.  My first suggestion is to completely rethink and revise our foreign policy there. This has all the makings of the problems we have previously encountered in Korea, Vietnam, and Iraq. I would suggest that we recognize that our involvement in this part of the world will be futile unless the people that live there want us, AND unless we have a true world coalition involved. Attempting to run the Taliban out of Afghanistan unilaterally will require that we remain there much as we are in Korea.  The USA has got to stop doing this world police thing by itself because it doesn’t work. And it is expensive and human lives are needlessly sacrificed.”

Well, you didn’t listen.  In fact, you didn’t even read my post. I don’t think you’ll read this one either.

Mr. President – you fired the wrong man today.  Petraeus for McChrsytal is like Rumsfeld for Gates.  The only difference is that they spell their names differently.  The guy who needs to go is your Secretary of Defense.  Yep, good ol’ Bob Gates.  Let’s look at the “fast facts” on Gates.

• ·         Prior to taking office over three years ago he had served with the CIA for 26 years.

• ·         He was an Eagle Scout in high school (Wichita, Kansas) and a Young Republican in college (William & Mary).

• ·         While working on his M.A. in History at Indiana University he was recruited by and joined the CIA in 1966.  This just happened to be when the Vietnam War debacle was revving up.  No coincidences here today.

• ·         He has a Ph.D.  (Georgetown 1974) in Russian and Soviet history. His dissertation is titled: Soviet Sinology: An Untapped Source for Kremlin Views and Disputes Relating to Contemporary Events in China.  While at the CIA he missed the decline and dissolution of the Soviet Union.  Get that, he missed it.  He even presented some skewed data to cover up the botched intelligence.

• ·         He was involved in the Iran-Contra arms affair but never indicted.

• ·         In 1994 he advocated a bombing campaign against Nicaragua.  Was he serious?  Bombing Nicaragua? He was serious.  Feared those Sandinistas. Have you ever been to Nicaragua (I have)?  It comes already pre-bombed.

• ·         Earlier than this (1985) he once sent a memo to the White House urging the USA to sell arms to Iran for the Iran-Iraq war.

• ·         He once vouched to then President Reagan on the comprehensiveness of a report alleging that the Soviet Union played a role in the 1981 shooting of Pope John Paul II.  This was later debunked. Hooboy!

I’m certain that Secretary Gates is a capable man in many ways.  But let’s face it. All he really knows is his cold war view of the world from deep within the bowels of the CIA catacombs.  He has an intelligence perspective that time and again has failed this country.  His ego probably drives him to prove that his professional career was not all for naught if he can just get a win in Afghanistan.  He may then retire vindicated.  Problem is it won’t happen.

Afghanistan has been settled for over 50,000 years.  Conquered time and again.  It is a collection of factional tribes that have roamed, united, fought, kissed and made up, and killed each other off since then.  Bob Gates’ cold war spy intelligence gathering  mentality hasn’t located Public Enemy #1 (Osama b’L), hasn’t brought anything resembling a victory in Afghanistan (it’s not doable), and has resulted again in changing the generals. Remember, he wanted to bomb Nicaragua.  I mean really.  Nicaragua?

President Obama, how about a major game plan change in Afghanistan?  First up is a new Secretary of Defense.  Then secretary Gates can start reworking Robert  McNamara’s  The Tragedy and Lessons of Vietnam. Really only needs one word changed.  Vietnam Afghanistan.   Thanks for your time.

Cordially,

A frustrated American citizen who voted for you and will do so again