Mission Accomplished

3/4/08

POLITICS

Before there was a war on terror there was a war on drugs. Way back when there was even a war on poverty.

We should be in control of the biggest drug dealers in the world, I mean we’ve got an entire army positioned right at the heart of the global narcotics trade, Afghanistan. So how’s it going in Afghanistan?

Six years and billions of dollars, that’s what the U.S. has spent in Afghanistan. And for what, the situation is this: the Taliban operate with impunity while provincial governors ignore their drug dealing. The drug kingpins trade guns and money for the radical militants protection and transport to market. Friday’s official report on global opium production notes that Afghanistan produces 93 percent of the world’s opium poppies. It’s probably just a coincidence that the Taliban has renewed its strength in the face of concerted U.S. anti-insurgency efforts. Much like Iraq, I.E.D.s, suicide bombings, and attacks on police are also on the rise.

America’s presence has only exacerbated the problem. Ironically, the drain of forces being deployed in Iraq has destabilized what was once a manageable conflict. According to the Associated Press, the plus 6,500 dead in Afghanistan make 2007 the bloodiest year since the 2001 invasion. In a recent independent study co-chaired by retired Marine Corps Gen. James Jones and U.N. Ambassador Thomas Pickering, Afghanistan is on the verge of collapsing because of waning international support and a growing insurgency. Top U.S. intelligence officials informed Congress that the Karzai regime controls only 30% of the country.

Since 9/11 Congress has appropriated 140 Billion for the Afghi war. Osama bin Laden is at large on the Afghanistan/Pakistan border. The Karzai defense ministry dismisses the U.S. National Intelligence Director’s assessment that the Taliban control 10 percent of the country, and local tribes hold authority over the rest. While the Karzai government rejects this assessment, the State Department’s report on the drug problem confirms McConnell’s views.

The 2007 poppy harvest produced all time record numbers for the second year in a row.

Where's the Suboxone???