A pivotal moment in Afghanistan - our chance to get it right

by: Rosa DeLauro

Sun Mar 01, 2009 at 09:52:10 AM EST

Last week, I went to Afghanistan to get a first-hand look at conditions on the ground. During my time there - and in Italy, where I travelled first to be briefed by American, European, and NATO leaders - I met with countless brave men and women in uniform.

I met with Major General Richard Formica from Cheshire who, as Commander of the Combined Security Transition Command, leads our efforts to build a professional Afghan National Security Force. And at the Aviano Air Force Base, I talked with Airman First Class Wilvier Medrano from Ansonia who is part of our work everyday to stabilize the region.

I asked all the soldiers I met for their perspective - how they saw America's role in the region and what it was going to take to turn things around. We talked about some of their toughest experiences living and fighting a war zone.  We joked around, took pictures, and shared stories to bring home.

I came back from those meetings thinking about the path ahead: We cannot follow the same broken approach that the Bush Administration used to define its own foreign policy around the world. We cannot let Afghanistan and Pakistan become a safe haven for terrorists. And we cannot go it alone.

This represents a true test of the NATO alliance and a defining moment for the United States and its allies. It is time to recognize that this is a regional problem requiring a regional response.  The United States and its allies must engage Pakistan, work to improve India-Pakistan relations - such as mediating the conflict over Kashmir - and find common ground with China, Russia, and Iran to bring lasting stability to the region.

No doubt: this is the pivotal moment. A military solution alone will not end the problems in Afghanistan and Pakistan. We need to use every tool we have - military, economic, diplomatic and political - to bring stability to the region.

Which is why I keep thinking back to our soldiers: Everywhere I went in Afghanistan, it was clear that our courageous armed forces can do anything we ask of them. Our responsibility is to define the mission - to lay out a clear strategy going forward and give our soldiers the tools to pursue it.

President Obama does not have any simple choices in the weeks and months ahead. But with our national security at stake, we cannot afford to get them wrong. We nearly lost Afghanistan - this is our chance to get it right.

Lamont v. Lieberman, The Press Roundup

by: BranfordBoy

Tue Sep 26, 2006 at 09:03:34 AM EDT

The deadline dispute was there -- nothing the press likes more than shooting fish in a barrel -- but by and large the coverage was balanced and nuanced. Maybe, just maybe, this means the "Lamont wants immediate withdrawal" lie that Lieberman has been peddling will wither and die.

Lamont Meets Vets, Yalies At Naples Pizza

by: BranfordBoy

Mon Sep 25, 2006 at 16:04:52 PM EDT

Although something approaching a real conversation did break out, it was hard to deny the underlying artificiality of the event, staged largely for the benefit of a lazy media in need of a soundbite or two for tonight's coverage of the latest reprise of Joe Lieberman's standard "stay the course" course speech.

There was nothing surprising for those who have been paying attention all along (so, perhaps, there was something surprising for some in the media), but what struck me was how well Lamont has mastered the details. He seems far more in command of chapter and verse on what's been going down in the debate about Iraq than Lieberman himself. (Of course, in Joe's defense, it should be noted that he's had more important things to do than actually participate in Senate discussions about the war and represent the people of Connecticut.) Lamont's able to cite specific time frames in which this general said that, when most of us can barely remember what they did last week. Clearly, he's done his homework and feels comfortable with the material. Of course, none of that will get reported.

Letter From Ned Lamont To Sen. Lieberman:

by: dad

Sun Sep 24, 2006 at 19:46:18 PM EDT

Dear Senator Lieberman:

As I am sure you have seen, the New York Times today reported that the National Intelligence Estimate in April concludes “that the American invasion and occupation of Iraq has helped spawn a new generation of Islamic radicalism and that the overall terrorist threat has grown since the Sept. 11 attacks.” The NIE represents the consensus view of the U.S. government’s 16 major intelligence agencies. The Times notes that the Iraq War is a major “reason for the diffusion of jihad ideology” and cites one intelligence official acknowledging that the NIE “says that the Iraq war has made the overall terrorism problem worse.” Let me put this news in terms that you can clearly understand: Our own intelligence agencies now confirm that the Iraq War is undermining America’s security and credibility at our nation’s peril.

read the entire letter, here:
http://nedlamont.com...