Kansas Democratic Senate Candidate Urges Withdrawal from Afghanistan
U.S. Senator Sam Brownback supports the expansion of the 8 year-long fighting in Afghanistan, in spite of the profound military failure there so far and the thorough corruption of the Afghan government created by the occupying force. But then, Brownback won’t be a senator much longer. He’s announced his retirement, and in 11 months, his replacement will be selected.
Democrat Charles Schollenberger is one of the candidates running to succeed Brownback, and he has a very different vision for Afghanistan than the incumbent. Schollenberger proposes a phased military withdrawal from Afghanistan beginning now and ending by the beginning of 2013. He explains,
“The Afghan people have suffered enough and the U.S. government should promote a negotiated settlement to the war. Afghanistan has been at war almost continually since 1979, and American troops have battled in Afghanistan since 2001. By the end of 2012, Americans will have been in Afghanistan for 11 years. That’s more than long enough to achieve our mission…
The purpose behind America’s incursion in Afghanistan was to destroy the groups that had planned the 9/11 attacks and permanently prevent their resurgence or regrouping. Today, however, with key U.S. officials resigning out of concern that America’s mere presence in Afghanistan is fueling the insurgency, and with America’s own defense secretary echoing these concerns, the time has come to reevaluate the strategic interest in continuing to fight in Afghanistan.”
