Obama Goes to the Dark Side

Dear Mr. President,
Another Kill List Tuesday almost over, your weekly pick of who you want assassinated made, you’re probably relaxing with the family now, eating a nice meal prepared by your chef. This morning’s New York Times had a follow-up on yesterday’s article about the ban on Special Forces in the province of Maidan Wardak resulting from the brutality and violence visited on villagers—the kidnappings, torture, disappearances and murders. (It turns out that that veterinary student was not just killed but beheaded. Beheaded!) Both American and Afghan officials are confused about who the ban applies to or who is suspected of the killings and abuses. Brig. General Katz of NATO claims that “a previous inquiry could not confirm abuses by Western forces or Afghans working with them…” A separate American command, U.S. Forces-Afghanistan (who are they?), claims “We have no idea what they’re talking about.” But villagers have video and photos and there’s all those tortured and killed and Karzai’s upset about the U.S. Special Forces creating and training militias and Local Police beyond the control of the Afghan government. Civilians and local officials complain that they look “little different from Taliban fighters or bandits.” These irregulars are trained by your heroes, Mr. President, the Special Forces. But the real story is near the end of the article: “One possibility that would match the description of attackers offered by local Afghan officials and, at the same time, exclude American military forces would be that the suspects were working with the CIA, whose operatives run militias in a number of provinces. A spokesman for the CIA refused to comment on the issue. One senior Afghan official said it was possible: Afghans… make no distinction between military-type outfits. Americans with weapons, high-end gear and facial hair were ‘all special forces’.” So here we are, completing the “mission” in Afghanistan by going to Cheney’s Dark Side, only this time under your command. These are your CIA and Special Forces assassins brutalizing and killing people and they are training the Afghans to do the same, to “take over the fight.” The end result, characterized by Karzai in a blinding moment of clarity, is that this is “…a faltering campaign that has helped fuel the war here, not end it.” So much for “smart” wars. So much for your legacy. Today the DoD identified the 2,159^th American service member to die in this war: Jonathan D. Davis, 34, Staff Sgt, Marines.