Peter D. Sowatskey – 7/24/08

This page was last updated on July 24, 2008.

Obama is right on Afghanistan; Peter D. Sowatskey; Beaver County Times; July 24, 2008.

Below is a detailed critique of the subject letter.

“Despite Barack Obama’s elitist attitude on guns, he has one thing dead right. Afghanistan is a far greater danger to the United States than Iraq.”

“The only thing the Iraqis can do to us is continue killing each other and turn the oil spigot off, which we’re not getting any of anyway.”

[RWC] We’re not getting any Iraqi oil? How can that be? I thought it was “war for oil.”

It appears Mr. Sowatskey either doesn’t know we’re having pretty good success in Iraq, or perhaps it’s an inconvenient truth.

What does Mr. Sowatskey believe a terrorist-controlled Iraq would do with its oil revenue?

“The Afghan situation must be won. If it isn’t and the Taliban and al-Qaeda gain control of Pakistan, the enemy won’t have to develop a nuclear weapon. They’ll just trot on down to the local armory and check one out. ’Nuff said.”

[RWC] I don’t get the link between U.S. success in Afghanistan and the Taliban gaining control in Pakistan. Here’s what I mean. Unless we manage to kill all the Taliban and their allies in Afghanistan (an impossibility), the remaining Taliban et al will simply run off to Pakistan to hide as they did in 2001/2002. How would that keep the Taliban and its allies from gaining control of Pakistan?