Recently Jordan Levy interviewd Congressman Jim McGovern (a.k.a. McGivern) and former Marine Captain Matthew Hoh about our involvement in Afghanistan about the need to end that war. I was looking forward to hearing the Congressman since it appears likely he will be my Rep after the re-districting, (A.k.a. The Democrat Party Gerrymandering Project), takes place here in MA. From a distance, in a political sense, I had heard of Jim McGivern and his liberal leanings but to actually hear the vitriol live on the radio was something else.
Jim McGivern wants us out of Afghanistan which is something I agree with him on. It is his rationale and premises for doing so I have big problems with. He told the listening audience over two thousand American soldiers had been killed and over fourteen thousand have been wounded in the ten years of war there. Harsh numbers, no doubt, and reason enough to pay attention. Then, incredibly, Congressman McGivern asked rhetorically how the families of those soldiers feel about their loved ones being sacrificed for nothing. He explained Al-Qaeda is no longer in Afghanistan and he said all wars can now be fought with small units without the need for major deployments. Really? Does the Congressman not understand how the Taliban and Al-Qaeda were brought to their knees? Where does he think the intelligence used by such units to go after the leadership of those groups comes from? Does he not understand how our presence there, on the ground, has leddirectly to those successes? I think the Congressman owes all of the Afghan Veterans and their families an apology for trivializing the sacrifices they made over there or here on the homefront.
Congressman McGivern also complained about the cost of the war which is about one hundred and ten billion dollars a year. While that is a lot of money, McGivern failed to bring up the roughly two and a half trillion dollars the Obama Administration has spent, with McGivern's approval, in the past three plus years. We would have to stay in Afghanistan another twenty six years to even come close to that number! Although I agree with the idea of examining our role in Afghanistan and welcome an honest debate, my fear is the continued rhetoric from McGivern and orhers like him will only get in the way. Congressman McGivern needs to stop using the talking points provided by the DNC, recognize the job well done by the military, and work to bring this war to a satsfying end. He may find a lot of support from his constituents on both sides of the aisle if he does.
