Middle of the Road
Dec. 13, 2010

Afghanistan: Should we stay or should we go?

NOTE: After reading, please leave your comments in the space provided at the end of this article.

Scott Wright: First of all, Rep. Rogers, congratulations on your reelection to another term representing Alabama's Third District. I'd also like to once again thank you and your staff for agreeing to these bi-monthly debates.

For readers who may have missed some of our previous back-and-forths, here's a quick “Middle of the Road” recap. At the end of our first debate in March, you and I hadn't made very much headway regarding our differences over the new health care bill. Two months later, we found ourselves agreeing on potential solutions to the nation's immigration problem. In July, we were able to find some common ground regarding deficit spending during an economic crisis. A few weeks later, however, we differed greatly over whether it was best to extend the Bush tax cuts for everyone (you) or get to work reducing the federal budget deficit (me).

Based on that track record, and since it's my turn to get the conversation started, I thought I'd choose a topic that may give one of us a chance to do something neither of us has been able to accomplish, so far: change the other's mind.

The topic, Rep. Rogers, is Afghanistan. I think – think, mind you – that we should probably get the hell out of there as soon as humanly possible. As you told me once, “Those people have been fighting for thousands of years and they'll be fighting for another thousand years after we're gone.”

I agree with you, but I'm worried that if we leave – in 2014, 2050 or whenever – without establishing a stable government, we'll end up sending our children, or grandchildren, back over there someday to fight the whole war all over again.

But is establishing anything even remotely civilized and sustainable even possible at this point? With 1,407 Americans dead (as of Dec. 13), and facing the daily depletion of $320 million (how many hundreds of billions is that after nine years of fighting?), haven't we lost enough, with too little to show for it?

Rep. Mike Rogers: Scott, is a pleasure to join you once again in the “Middle of the Road.” I am humbled beyond words to have the opportunity to once again serve East Alabama in Congress.

I know most folks across Cherokee County remember exactly where they were when they first learned about the 9/11 terrorist attacks almost a decade ago. In this war, our number one priority remains preventing terrorists from establishing a safe haven from which they could launch another massive attack on our homeland.

You're right. The war in Afghanistan continues to be a difficult challenge. We have lost precious American lives in this conflict, and yes, we continue to spend heavily in our pursuit of a stable Afghanistan. So far, we have made tremendous progress, though it has been at a slower pace than we had hoped.

I share your concerns about leaving prematurely. But I have every faith in Gen. David Petraeus and trust he's making informed decisions. For every American fighting over there, and for their families here at home, I hope we are able to begin wrapping up the mission soon.

Unfortunately, we must also realize that we are dealing with an enemy that knows no boundaries, follows no timetable and has no honor. That's why I believe we must continue to fight the conflict in Afghanistan, with our nation's security as the ultimate goal.

Wright: Everyone who was alive on Sept. 11, 2001 has horrible memories of that day. When President Bush launched attacks against al-Qaeda camps in Afghanistan in October 2001, almost all Americans agreed that we were doing the right thing. But as you said, that was almost a decade ago.

Last month, a USA Today poll found 54 percent of Americans believe the war in Afghanistan is going either “moderately badly” or “very badly.” And over two-thirds are afraid the U.S. government is too busy worrying about the other side of the world instead of dealing with 9.5 percent unemployment and a stagnant economic recovery here at home.

Count me among that 68 percent of Americans.

Further compounding this apathy, according to a recently conducted poll involving around 1,700 Afghans spread across every on of that country's 34 provinces, is that most folks there feel our presence is no longer required: “More than half of Afghans interviewed said U.S. and NATO troops should begin to leave the country in mid-2011 or earlier,” read a news story about the poll results in the Dec. 6 issue of The Washington Post.

Congressman, I know American and Afghan citizens don't get to decide U.S. military doctrine, but you said you trust Gen. Patraeus. What do we do if the general's report to President Obama, due later this month, says the time has come to begin bringing our soldiers home from Afghanistan?

I'm still on the fence, Congressman. Like most of Americans, though, I have a threshold for this seemingly never-ending war. Albert Einstein once said the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again but expecting a different result each time. With your last word, please convince me that American soldiers aren't wasting their blood and our nation's treasure in Afghanistan. I look forward to our next debate.

Rogers: Scott, no one likes war. I surely don't, but as a member of the House Armed Services Committee my job is to ensure that our troops have the best possible equipment to carry out and complete their missions. Without being on the ground in Afghanistan, I am going to trust those who are and leave the big and small decisions to Gen. Petraeus. If he says tomorrow that conditions on the ground are stable enough that we can start bringing troops home, then I will be on board with his decision.

You make the point that 68 percent of Americans are afraid the government is more focused on the war than on helping create good jobs and turning around our current economy. Unemployment has been over 9 percent for the past 16 months. If the Democratic Congress had focused on jobs rather than legislation such as the flawed health care reform bill — which will hurt small businesses and kill jobs — Americans might feel differently about the twin challenges of our economy and the conflicts abroad.

In November, the people spoke loudly and clearly that they wanted our country to head in a different direction. I hope the new Congress will focus on jobs, help jumpstart our economy and put people back to work with common-sense solutions. I also hope Congress will not attempt to micromanage the war.

As decisions continue to be made by those on the ground in Afghanistan, I will continue to listen closely to what they say. I will not play politics with the lives of our brave men and women in uniform. Based on information I have received through briefings and hearings I am confident that we are making much more progress than is being reported in the media. I will not support bringing our troops home when the mission is not completed or while our country is still vulnerable to more attacks. I say let Gen. Petraeus do his job, and let's continue to pray for our troops as they fight for our freedom.

As President Reagan once said, let's trust but verify — in this case, that our mission in Afghanistan is moving successfully forward towards its eventual conclusion.