What Can We Win?
by James Glaser
September 30, 2009

Many Vietnam veterans I know still say, "We were winning when I was there." Nobody likes to lose at anything and that includes a war. Over 58,000 Americans lost their lives fighting in Vietnam. Whenever I meet a veteran of that war who claims we were winning when he was there or that if it weren't for our politicians in Washington, we could have won, I have to ask them, "Won what?"

What can you win in a war these days? Now it is "against the rules" to take land you win in a war. So, what can you win? About the only thing you can do these days is kick out the government you attacked, and put in a puppet regime that will do as you say, and maybe vote with you at the UN.

Right now we are in two wars—Iraq and Afghanistan. We were told we were attacking Iraq to stop them from using their weapons of mass destruction. They didn't have any. Even after we figured that out, we stayed right there, and to date over 35,000 American troops have been killed or wounded, trying to win. But win what? We don't know, and Washington can't tell us.

In Afghanistan we were told that we attacked to capture Osama bin Laden and destroy his terrorist organization. Well, we attacked, and Osama and his people left. We have been there for a full eight years now, and over 5,000 American troops have been killed or wounded.

There is nothing to win in either of these wars, but still we stay and fight. Why is that? I believe it is because no Washington politician, especially no President ever wants to lose a war.

President Obama is no different. Even though he knew going into office the reasons we started both of these wars are no longer valid, he won't give the order to bring the troops home, because to do such would be admitting defeat.

Since inauguration day in January, America has lost well over 300 troops in these two wars. Over three hundred Soldiers and Marines killed fighting wars we have no reason to fight, and nothing to win.

Their lives have been given so that Barack Obama will not have to be the President who presided over two war losses. If our losses stay steady, Obama will have ordered over a thousand troops to be killed before his first term is up. They will have died for President Obama's pride.

Yes, I know that's a harsh thing to say, but it is the truth. Neither of these wars are "declared wars." Congress never voted for them to start. George Bush started them by signing Executive Orders, and Barack Obama could end them the same way. Pride and the need to stay in power with a second term is the only thing winnable in either of these two wars.

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