Romney: "No, seriously - what are we doing in Afghanistan?"

[Shah-i-Kot]

Romney: "No, seriously - what are we doing in Afghanistan?"

Walter Mencken, May 29, 2012

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Presumptive Republican Presidential Candidate Surprises Crowd at Balboa Park Veteran's Museum; Interrupts Memorial Day Speech to Query Senator McCain.
"If I'm elected President, will someone explain it to me? Is that how it works?"



Mitt Romney, at podium, turns and interrogates noted veteran McCain, seated.
NOBODY EXPECTS THE MORMON INQUISITION, BALBOA PARK - Republican Presidential front-runner Mitt Romney shocked the 5,000 or so people who gathered yesterday to hear his Memorial Day address in front of the Veteran's Museum. Mid-way through his speech, he seemed to lose his train of thought; then, after a confused pause, he turned to fellow Republican and United States Senator John McCain and asked, "No seriously - what are we doing in Afghanistan?"
"Every time I try to push the issue with my campaign advisers, they remind me of this or member of the War Department saying, 'We must keep going in Afghanistan so that those who have died there already will not have died in vain.' But if the whole war is basically pointless - I mean, everybody knows Al-Qaeda is holed up in Pakistan now, and that the Taliban isn't going anywhere, right? - then everybody who dies there dies in vain, right? How is it honoring the dead to pile more bodies on top of them? I'm not a veteran, but when I was working at Bain Capital, we called this sort of thing 'throwing good money after bad.'"
Romney paused, as if realizing the likely effects of his words on people who had gathered to honor America's fallen soldiers. But then he pressed on. "I know there are those of you who will bristle at my comparing conducting a war to running a business," he admitted. "But I didn't start this. I mean, just look at President Obama's language surrounding the troop withdrawal: 'Winding down the war in Afghanistan.' You don't 'wind down' a war. You wind down a business operation. You win a war or you lose a war. Am I right, John?" he asked, turning back to Senator McCain.
When McCain offered nothing but a murderous glare in reply, Romney turned again to the crowd. "Now President Obama has the Secretary of Defense telling everyone that 'we're not going anywhere,' that we'll have a presence in Afghanistan clear through 2024. Because why? Because by then, Afghanistan will love America and democracy and Enlightenment notions of human society? I just don't get it."

[Shah-i-Kot]

"Every time I try to push the issue with my campaign advisers, they remind me of this or member of the War Department saying, 'We must keep going in Afghanistan so that those who have died there already will not have died in vain.' But if the whole war is basically pointless - I mean, everybody knows Al-Qaeda is holed up in Pakistan now, and that the Taliban isn't going anywhere, right? - then everybody who dies there dies in vain, right? How is it honoring the dead to pile more bodies on top of them? I'm not a veteran, but when I was working at Bain Capital, we called this sort of thing 'throwing good money after bad.'"

[Shah-i-Kot]

So my guess is the script of Romney's speech was written by GHQ?

That is a joke Toramana.

[randolph85]

you missed the part where he disrespects afghan people in the last sentence.

[Shah-i-Kot]

Pashtuns are getting killed by airstrikes, night raids, and drones.

You tell me if some Pashtun in Paktia, Helmand, Waziristan, Orakzai, etc etc cares what Mitt Romney thinks of them.

LOL

[Shah-i-Kot]

what he said?

that Afghans wont be able to be "enlightened" like Americans and thats why he is indicating he wants to get out of Afghanistan.

Apparently McCain was pissed at his remarks about the pointless NATO war in Afghanistan


Randolph will say this doesnt mean anything- war will go on, Romney is just playing to the domestic audience.

[Shah-i-Kot]

http://www.sandiegoreader.com/weblogs/almost-factual-news/2012/may/29/romney-no-seriously-what-are-we-doing-in-afghanist/

[Shah-i-Kot]

but thats a compliment

Well, exactly. What is American "enlightenment?" Lesbians. Gay Marriage.. obesity!

Mitt Romney himself is from a very conservative family, not only politically, but culturally. He doesnt drink alcohol as it is against his faith.


The point is, he has to frame is position now in such a way.

He is not going to talk about a faster withdrawal from Afghanistan, and in the same breath praise Pashtuns for their resistance to outside cultures and such.

LOL

[randolph85]

that Afghans wont be able to be "enlightened" like Americans and thats why he is indicating he wants to get out of Afghanistan.

Apparently McCain was pissed at his remarks about the pointless NATO war in Afghanistan


Randolph will say this doesnt mean anything- war will go on, Romney is just playing to the domestic audience.

of course he wants to get out, but like obama he wants to leave bases and troops and control the domestic issues in the nation.

the domestic audience is easy to play which is what both these idiots are doing. i am sure most americans have no idea that there will still be like 20,000 troops left over after 2014 when the war is supposedly going to end.

[randolph85]

he said notions of human society, as in he thinks afghans being civilized is unlikely.

[Shah-i-Kot]

of course he wants to get out, but like obama he wants to leave bases and troops and control the domestic issues in the nation.

the domestic audience is easy to play which is what both these idiots are doing. i am sure most americans have no idea that there will still be like 20,000 troops left over after 2014 when the war is supposedly going to end.

^This is what you believe.