YOU WOULD HARDLY KNOW THERE IS A WAR GOING ON---FRED HIATT, WASHINGTON POST

In the absence of debate, Iraq and Afghanistan go unnoticed

By Fred HiattMonday, May 24, 2010; A19

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/05/23/AR2010052303855_pf.html

You would hardly know, from following this year's election campaign or the extensive coverage of last week's primaries, that America is at war.

Those elected to Congress in November will face fateful decisions on the continued deployment, or not, of U.S. forces in combat in Iraq and Afghanistan. Yet those wars, and the wisdom of committing to or withdrawing from them, have hardly been mentioned in the hard-fought campaigns of the spring.

Look at some candidate Web sites. Sen. Blanche Lincoln, forced into a runoff in Arkansas's Democratic primary, lists 10 categories of issues, none of which are defense or national security. Under "Veterans and National Guard," she does mention the war in Iraq but not the war in Afghanistan. For her opponent, Lt. Gov. Bill Halter, "National Security, Veterans and the Military" comes eighth on a list of nine issues and begins, "Arkansas is home to military bases that are critical to our nation's security." "Ensuring success in Iraq and Afghanistan" is the entirety of his platform on those conflicts.
In Pennsylvania, Joe Sestak, who rode a wave of opposition toward the Iraq war into Congress in 2006, includes defense (fifth out of five topics) on his site but writes mostly about properly equipping and caring for the force and accountability in weapons purchasing. For his Republican opponent, Pat Toomey, "National Security" comes 10th out of 10 (just after "Second Amendment") with no mention, as far as I could see, of Iraq or Afghanistan.
In a time of joblessness and home foreclosures, it's not surprising that politics would focus on the economy more than on national security. And maybe, in a time of toxic partisanship, we should be grateful for this inattention to the wars, taking the absence of debate as a sign of rare bipartisan consensus. Certainly few would miss the vitriol of the Iraq debate of a few years back.

Yet there's something disquieting about the quiet. For one thing, it's yet another reminder of American society's separation from its professional military. As the November elections approach, candidates across the spectrum will ostentatiously wear their support for "our warriors" like body armor, which I suppose is better than the alternative. But as the troops become props, the real men and women who are sweating and taking fire and sleeping on hard ground 7,000 miles away are oddly missing from the conversation.

It also seems likely that apparent bipartisan consensus masks a shallowness of support, an unease that permeates wings of both parties but that, for different reasons, neither party feels ready to politically exploit.

President Obama gets both credited and blamed for the absence of debate. A European diplomat I respect welcomes the political cease-fire and attributes it to Obama having masterfully mollified both Afghanistan hawks (with a surge) and doves (with a guaranteed date to begin withdrawing), defusing disagreement.

Some conservatives look at the flip side of that record and criticize the president for having had too little to say about the war since crafting his plan last fall -- for not reminding Americans more frequently of the sacrifice the troops are making and the reasons they are fighting. Although Obama returned to West Point on Saturday to deliver a commencement address, he does not style himself as a "war president," and many Americans seem content with that; unlike his predecessor, Obama is not chided for playing golf in his off hours.

As long as events cooperate, maybe none of this will matter much. If the Iraqis form a government and U.S. troops can safely begin coming home, if the surge in Afghanistan yields progress, if American casualties do not spike, then war can be 10th out of 10 on the political priority list and the job will still get done.

But wars rarely go according to plan. And if the absence of debate reflects not full-bodied consensus but a wishful averting of eyes, then a spectacular attack on U.S. forces, or even a U.S. surge that yields fruit more slowly than hoped, could tip public opinion abruptly. In that case even political leaders who believe in the mission, having been AWOL from the debate, will have difficulty tipping it back.

HELMET CAM: RAW COMBAT FOOTAGE FROM AFGHANISTAN

This video is non-stop combat action from start to finish showing U.S. troops battling the Taliban in Afghanistan.

TURN UP YOUR SOUND

WATCH VIDEO HERE:

http://www.youtube.com/v/AGkGScHJbLE&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0

CLICK ON LINK AND DIAMOND SHAPED ARROW TO PLAY VIDEO

"HOUSEHOLD CAVALRY" ON THE ATTACK IN SCIMTARS IN AFGHANISTAN (LIVE VIDEO)

Video shows members of the "Household Cavalry" on the attack in Scimtars in Afghanistan.

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WATCH VIDEO HERE:

http://www.youtube.com/v/anA7Wu4iePU&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0

CLICK ON LINK AND DIAMOND-SHAPED ARROW TO PLAY VIDEO

GRISLY VIDEO: VEHICLE EXPLOSION OUTSIDE CAMP EGGERS IN KABUL AFGHANISTAN (RAW VIDEO)

What you see in this video is the remains of a number of vehicles that were destroyed by Taliban IEDs outside of Camp Eggers in Kabul, Afghanistan.

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WATCH VIDEO HERE:

http://www.youtube.com/v/YehueWwxhbo&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0

CLICK ON LINK AND DIAMOND-SHAPED ARROW TO PLAY VIDEO

PTSD: WHAT HAPPENS AFTER THE WAR (LIVE VIDEO)

This video was made to provide viewers with an idea of what takes place with the men and women who have served in combat.

The most common name today is PTSD or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. There is also TBI or Traumatic Brain Injury.

Both are debilitating mental problems that affect one out of every three veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.

To get a better understanding of what happens after war with these "wounded" veterans you really should watch this video

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WATCH VIDEO HERE:

http://www.youtube.com/v/Px6U3is8pwk&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0

CLICK ON LINK AND DIAMOND SHAPED ARROW TO PLAY THIS VIDEO

U.S. PAYS OFF AFGHAN POPPY FARMERS

This ABC News video shows how U.S. troops not only help the Afghan poppy farmers but in some instances provide them with money to grow more poppy in a controversial decision that has a number of people bewildered.

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WATCH VIDEO HERE:

http://news.yahoo.com/video/us-15749625/19981500;_ylt=AuyGYJqCBLrkxcVnyRCng9QBS5Z4


CLICK ON LINK AND DIAMOND-SHAPED ARROW TO PLAY VIDEO

TALIBAN FOOTAGE SHOWS THEM ATTACKING U.S. BASE

This footage is from the Taliban and shows them attacking a U.S. base in Afghanistan.

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WATCH VIDEO HERE:

http://www.youtube.com/v/eq590eFHpa0&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0

CLICK ON LINK AND DIAMOND-SHAPED ARROW TO PLAY VIDEO

EXCELLENT FOOTAGE OF MARINE COBRAS AND HUEYS TAKING OUT TALIBAN AT NIGHT

This video was made with a night vision camera and shows Marine Cobras and Hueys taking out the Taliban.

TURN UP YOUR SOUND

WATCH VIDEO HERE:

http://www.youtube.com/v/9KWk4I0l8po&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0

CLICK ON LINK AND DIAMOND SHAPED ARROW TO PLAY VIDEO

RAW COMBAT FOOTAGE: MARINES AND ARMY BATTLE TALIBAN

This is a video which shows what our Marines and Army are facing on a daily basis in Afghanistan as they battle the Taliban.

SONG: EVERY MAN by Casting Crews

TURN UP YOUR SOUND

WATCH VIDEO HERE:

http://www.youtube.com/v/COj45UdOaR8&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0

CLICK ON LINK AND DIAMOND SHAPED ARROW TO PLAY VIDEO