Part 1

Part 2

TRANSCRIPT

Unless President Obama and our allies move quickly to derail Iran’s nuclear weapons program, we will soon be faced with the choice between two horrible options: bombing Iran or letting Iran get the bomb.

If we, or Israel, bomb Iran’s nuclear facilities, most observers feel we could – at best – set Iran’s nuclear weapons program back a few years. Chairman of the Jt. Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mullen warns that an attack could ignite a regional war in the Middle East – with Iran retaliating by unleashing Hezbollah and Hamas on Israel, reactivating Shiite militias in Iraq, and even mining the Strait of Hormuz. This would send the price of oil, and gasoline at American pumps, through the roof.

On the other hand, if Iran gets the bomb, it would set off a nuclear arms race throughout the middle east, as moderate Sunni Arab states rush to build their own nuclear arsenals. Not only would this increase chances a nuclear weapon could be used, accidentally or intentionally, but also that nuclear materials could fall into the hands of terrorists.

Is there a third way? Perhaps. Regime change – not by sending Americans boots on the ground, but encouraging Iranian reformers on the streets – like President Reagan did with the Solidarity Labor movement in Poland in the 1980’s.

President Obama should speak out forcefully against the Iranian regime’s abuses and in favor of the democratic opposition movement, and aid private groups working to keep the movement’s internet communications online. His moral authority carries great weight in the Arab world.

He should also impose crippling gasoline sanctions that zero in on the foreign companies that sell, transport or insure gasoline shipments to Iran.

In the end it is the Iranian people who offer the best chance of derailing Iran’s nuclear program, by changing their regime from within and rejoining the community of nations.

TRANSCRIPT

The war in Afghanistan is finally getting serious. Eight years ago we destroyed 95% of Al Qaeda and then managed to flub killing the crucial remaining 5% – so Bin Ladin and the ragtag remnants of Al Qaeda escaped out clutches and decamped to Pakistan, where they remain today.

But we’re still in Afghanistan. So how do we get out and leave Afghanistan to Afghanis – while making sure Al Qaeda doesn’t return?

The Marjah offensive is our last chance to get this war right. We’ve finally put in enough troops to make a difference. We’ve finally realized that civilian casualties today mean more people fighting against us tomorrow. We’ve finally trained up enough Afghan National Army to fight alongside us.

Gen McChrystal’s plan for Afghanistan is like Gen. Petraeus’ was in Iraq – to clear, hold and build. First, US, British and Afghan Army forces clear the Taliban out of southern Afghanistan. Then we hold and build – something we’ve never done before: “We’ve got a government in a box, ready to roll in,” says Gen. McChrystal. In the past we’d clear the area, then head back to headquarters while the Taliban bided their time – only to return once the coast was clear.

Will it work? Maybe, but in the end it won’t be up to us. It will be up to the Afghan government to make peace with the tribal leaders, keep the Taliban from returning, govern effectively.

But it’s a long shot. So far the Karzai government has been both corrupt and incompetent and content to let Americans do the fighting for them. Will they change? Can they? Only time will tell.

But, as Gen. Petraeus says, putting the Afghan war on a timeline is aimed at the Karzai government – that nothing focuses the mind so much as the threat of our imminent departure. Ultimately we’ve got to cut the umbilical cord.

After eight years the war in Afghanistan is finally getting serious. In December 2001, just three months after the attack on the World Trade Center, we had destroyed 95 percent of Al Qaeda. Sadly, we then failed to finish the job and destroy the remaining 5 percent. What happened next? Bin Laden and the ragtag remnants of Al Qaeda escaped our clutches and decamped to Pakistan, where they remain today.

But eight years later we’re still in Afghanistan. So how do we get out and leave Afghanistan to Afghans – while making sure Al Qaeda doesn’t return?

The Marjah offensive is our last chance to get this war right. We’ve finally put enough troops in the country to make a difference. We’ve finally realized that civilian casualties today mean more people fighting against us tomorrow. We’ve finally trained up enough Afghan National Army to fight alongside us.

General McChrystal’s plan for Afghanistan is like General Petraeus’ was in Iraq — to clear, hold and build. First, U.S., British and Afghan Army forces will clear the Taliban out of southern Afghanistan. Then we will hold the area and build a secure and thriving society — something we’ve never done before: “We’ve got a government in a box, ready to roll in,” says McChrystal. In the past we’d clear the area, then head back to headquarters while the Taliban blended back into their communities or headed for the hills to bide their time — only to return once the coast was clear.

Will the new strategy work? Maybe, but in the end it won’t be up to us. The American military will, as usual, perform brilliantly. But then it’s up to the Afghan government to make peace with the tribal leaders, keep the Taliban from returning, stop the poppy crop, govern effectively.

It’s a long shot. So far the Karzai government has been corrupt and incompetent and content to let Americans do the fighting for them. Do they want to change? Will they? Can they? We just don’t know.

But, as Petraeus says, putting the Afghan war on a timeline is aimed directly at the Karzai government — nothing will focus the minds of Afghanistan’s leaders so much as the threat of our imminent departure. Ultimately, we’ve got to cut the umbilical cord.

Topic: The Obama administration and our homeland security.