Arlen Specter Questions Afghan War Necessity

(9 am. – promoted by ek hornbeck)

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Cross-posted at Daily Kos and MyDD.

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Senator Specter addressed the floor yesterday about his letters to the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of State, the Director of National Intelligence, and the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency.  (This is what I get for flipping on C-SPAN late at night!  ; – )

U.S. Senator Arlen Specter (D-Pa.) today spoke on the Senate floor regarding his concerns about sending additional U.S. troops to Afghanistan without greater clarification and assurances that an increase in force is “indispensable” to the defeat of al Qaida and homeland security

Citing the “bitter lesson” learned in Iraq from insufficient and faulty intelligence, Senator Specter outlined a series of questions he believes must be answered before Congress can make an informed judgment as to whether the expenditures in Afghanistan are in our national interest.

While I think it is laudable to want to protect the Afghan people and to provide good governance there, it is my view that is not of sufficient national interest for the United States to put our troops at risk or to expend substantial additional sums there. The principal question, as I see it, is whether Afghanistan is indispensable to be secured to prevent al-Qaida from launching another attack against the United States. If that is the purpose, that is the necessity, then we must undertake anything, whatever it costs, to stop al-Qaida from again attacking the United States.

But I believe there is a series of questions which have to be answered before we can assess whether that is an indispensable part of U.S. policy. Toward that end, I have written to the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of State, the Director of National Intelligence, and the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency on a series of questions which I think requires answers before we can make an informed judgment as to whether the expenditures in Afghanistan are in our specific and key national interests.  [emphasis added]

The questions:

What are the prospects for military success in Afghanistan against al-Qaida and the Taliban?

What will the requirements be in the next year as to additional U.S. troops and the cost of our involvement in Afghanistan?

What may we reasonably expect NATO or other allies to contribute in troops and dollars to our efforts in Afghanistan?

What other areas around the world are open to al-Qaida as potential bases for another attack on the United States?

What will be done besides military action, such as nation building and stabilizing and developing Afghanistan, so that they will be prepared to handle their own problems so we can withdraw?

What assistance can we reasonably expect from Pakistan in fighting al-Qaida and the Taliban and stopping both from seeking refuge by moving in and out of Pakistan?

How does the questionable legitimacy of President Karzai’s status as result of allegations of proof of election fraud impact on our ability to succeed in Afghanistan?

How does the illegal drug trafficking and alleged involvement of high-ranking officials in the Karzai government in such drug trafficking impact on our efforts in Afghanistan?

What does U.S. intelligence show as to any possible plans by al-Qaida to attack the United States or anyone else?

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And I want the answers to these questions, too.

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And more questions re: posture towards Pakistan and India and their role in the region:

What does U.S. intelligence show as to whether India poses a real threat to attack Pakistan?

What does U.S. intelligence show as to whether Pakistan poses a real threat to attack India?

What does U.S. intelligence show as to whether Pakistan could reasonably devote additional military force to assist us in the fight against the Taliban?

What does U.S. intelligence show as to whether the Government of Pakistan or influential officials in the Pakistani Government would consider negotiating with India for reducing nuclear weapons or other confidence-building measures to diffuse the tension with India if actively encouraged to do so by the United States?

What does U.S. intelligence show as to whether the Government of India or some influential officials in the Indian Government would consider negotiating with Pakistan for reducing nuclear weapons or other confidence-building measures to diffuse the tension with Pakistan if actively encouraged by the United States to do so?

Senator Specter then describes inquiries he made with the Clinton administration in 1995, following visits to the Indian and Pakistani Prime Ministers, where he perceived the U.S. could broker nuclear arms agreements between the two countries.

Senator Specter concludes:

In sum, it seems to me that before we ought to commit additional troops to Afghanistan, it ought to be a matter of paramount importance, indispensable as a matter of stopping another attack by al-Qaida. But if al-Qaida can organize in some other spot, the issues raised by my questions, it would bear heavily on what our policy in Afghanistan should be.

BRAVO, Senator Specter.  SOMEONE in the senate has to have the nerve to question the premises for what we are doing to our Armed Forces.

Since I live in Illinois, all I have is hope that Dick Durbin will evolve to ask the questions re: Afghanistan that should be asked, and raise the issues that should be raised. In contrast to Arlen Specter, Dick Durbin’s website has only this to say about Afghanistan:

At the same time, the crucial fight in Afghanistan continues but with limited resources due to the much larger conflict in Iraq.

We need a new direction.

and

Afghanistan and Combating Terrorism

The United States has been in a state of heightened alert since the attacks of September 11, 2001. From the outset, I supported our efforts to combat Al Qaeda in Afghanistan, and I continue to do so.

The unfortunate truth is that the war in Iraq is monopolizing military resources needed to effectively fight terrorism in Afghanistan. Despite the Bush Administration’s assertions, Al Qaeda was not in Iraq before the U.S. invasion. As we spend several billion dollars a week pursuing the war in Iraq, terrorist ranks continue to grow in and around Afghanistan.

Arlen Specter is showing what kind of leadership is needed.  Our Armed Forces and their families deserve it.