If you happened to be near a TV or radio on Monday night, you may have heard President Trump's speech on prosecuting a war in Afghanistan.
If you haven't been living under a rock, you also may be familiar with Trump's rhetoric leading up to his election on the subject.
One may even be confused as to what Trump said several years ago versus what he said on Monday night.
Allow me to clarify.
Trump stated previously that American troops should come home immediately, but he also seemed to hedge a bit when he stated that " If we have to go back in, we go in hard & quick." This strategic hedging seemed tailored for a presidential candidacy if you ask me. Seemingly running on one thing, then leaving open the opportunity to do another once elected.
After an announcement on Monday that 4,000 more troops could be sent in, not with the goal of nation building, but with a focus on counterterrorism. Trump continued on Monday, "My original instinct was to pull out, and, historically, I like following my instincts," Trump said in a televised address Monday. "But all of my life I heard that decisions are much different when you sit behind the desk in the Oval Office."
Mysteriously absent from Trump's speech was any mention of China's stakes in any of this, namely their struggles with terrorism and China's One Belt One Road initiative.
(Speaking of "stakes," one must realize China's much more immediate security concerns as it lies on the Eurasian landmass. The US is thousands of miles away. That being said, any mention of 9/11 seems to ring hollow in my ears as the CIA seemingly was involved in both getting the terrorists into the country with visas, as well as rigging explosives on 9/11. Also, the number of organic "terrorist attacks" in the country since then could probably be counted on one hand, false flags not included. Bringing up 9/11 reminds me of telling fables to children, like the Tooth Fairy placing money under your pillow in exchange for teeth. It's downright infantile and insulting.)
Bringing 4,000 troops back into Afghanistan seems rather silly given that 100,000 could not defeat the Taliban. What's the purpose here?
Trump talks about the reach of American arms and might.
What is Trump then proposing here?
A battle of attrition with the Taliban, in order to bring them back to the negotiating table?
Shooting our way back to the negotiation table?
I'm at a bit of a loss here on this one, but I guess we can't really say that Trump lied to get elected.
He successfully hedged.
Miniskirts?
Come on.
Why do the generals feel the need to prove something?
