Gingrich says "It's time to get out of Afghanistan." - Polidicks

[quote]Bob Schieffer: Is it time for us to leave Afghanistan, Mr. Speaker? Newt Gingrich: I think it is. I think that we have to reassess the entire region. I think the revelations about Pakistan having hidden Bin Laden for seven years in a military city near their national defense university and then hunting down not the people who were protecting Bin Laden but hunting down the people who were helping America. I think the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt. When you look around the region, this is going to get much worse. That's why I've called for an American energy policy. We need to decide that we're going to produce our own oil and we're going to frankly be capable of surviving without having to define or dominate the region because I don't think we have the willpower or the capacity to do the things you'd have to do to fundamentally change the region. Schieffer: You say it is time to leave. Do you mean just, let's leave, let's start leaving right now, not wait around? Gingrich: I think we need to reconsider the whole region. We need to understand that our being in the middle of countries like Afghanistan is probably counterproductive. We're not prepared to be ruthless enough to force them to change, and yet we're clearly an alien presence. That was the real meaning of the reaction to the Koran burning. The fact is those Korans had been in fact defaced by Muslims who were prisoners. They had been abused by Muslims, not by Americans, and yet the instantaneous anti-foreigner sentiment is so deep that I think we need to recognize that we're walking on egg shells in places like Afghanistan, and after $20 billion in the last decade, it's pretty hard to argue that the Pakistanis are seriously our allies when they hide Bin Laden for seven years."[/quote] [quote](CBS News) Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich this morning called for the U.S. to withdraw its troops from Afghanistan. His statement on CBS News' "Face the Nation" came as news broke this morning of a U.S. soldier opening fire and killing at least 16 Afghan civilians, including women and children, in Kandahar province. In response to a question by host Bob Schieffer on whether it was time for the U.S. to get out of Afghanistan, the former House Speaker said, "I think it is. "We have to reassess the entire region," Gingrich said. "We need to understand that our being in the middle of countries like Afghanistan is probably counterproductive." In 2011, President Obama began the withdrawal of U.S. troops, reducing the number from 100,000 to 68,000 by this fall, with more to be withdrawn in 2013. Gingrich, meanwhile, said the U.S. doesn't have the "willpower" or the "capacity" to "fundamentally change the region." "We're not prepared to be ruthless enough to force them to change," Gingrich said, without expounding on what would he thinks would be necessary. Gingrich offered dire predictions of the near future. "You look around the region, this is going to get much worse," he said. The soldier's deadly rampage comes at time when tensions are high and distrust of Americans is growing in Afghanistan. After U.S. soldiers burned copies of the Quran at Bagram Air Base last month, rioting erupted resulting in more than two dozen Afghan deaths and the killing of six Americans. Gingrich strongly decried President Obama's apology of the Quran burning, but on "Face the Nation" this morning, Gingrich said last night's shooting is a "different situation." "With the burning of the Quran they were killing young Americans. No American president should apologize to people who in the process of killing young Americans," Gingrich said. As for responding to the shooting, he said the U.S. should offer "condolences" and "compensation" to the families of the victims for the "terrible event." "Our enemies, the terrorists, are in the business worldwide of killing the innocent," Gingrich said. "We need to make very clear that moral distinction. Then we have to live up to that distinction." Also on "Face the Nation," President Obama's senior campaign adviser Robert Gibbs called the incident in Afghanistan "deeply regrettable." Gibbs said the coalition forces are investigating and that they will continue to train the Afghan forces so the U.S. "can bring our men and women home."[/quote] Transcript: True Politics Source: [url]http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-3460_162-57395002/gingrich-its-time-to-get-out-of-afghanistan/[/url]

One of the few things Gingrich has said I agree with. You know...Besides the moon base.

DJswitch says "No shit."

A broken clock is right twice a day.

Fucking republican garbage who does he think he is. What a terrible idea

[QUOTE=ASmellyOgre;35101513]A broken clock is right twice a day.[/QUOTE] Is this the new "bad apples" thing

He's still a moron.

Nice way to improve your reputation Gingrich

[I]"...because we need those troops for Iran."[/I]

What [b]is[/b] the situation in Afghanistan? My brother was in the Army and he tells me the reason we were out there in Iraq for as long as we were was helping the Iraqis train in self defense, so that if al-Qaeda or a similar group flared up again they wouldn't have to wait for the US (or someone else) to swoop in and defend them. [editline]11th March 2012[/editline] if we're doing the same shit in Afghanistan then that's based on THEIR ability to defend themselves.

And I finally have something to agree with. Besides the moon base, Gingrich has uttered pure bull. He's finally said something smart.

[QUOTE=Bound;35101531]Is this the new "bad apples" thing[/QUOTE]Its been a saying around here for far longer than anything involving apples, nothing new about it. Also nothing incorrect about it. [editline]11th March 2012[/editline] [QUOTE=Venezuelan;35101621][I]"...because we need those troops for Iran."[/I][/QUOTE]Exactly. :downs:

Good, maybe we can stop policing the world and focus on our own problems.

Even the stupidest people agree that we need to do this. Not a big surprise that he's saying this.

Why. Then afghanistan will become lawless.

This is the only thing I've heard from him I agree on. I'm just curious as to what the middle eastern countries we are in would do once we left. I feel like they wouldn't just be like "okay we're cool."

[img]http://i.somethingawful.com/forumsystem/emoticons/emot-frog.gif[/img]

[QUOTE=Archonos 2;35101932]This is the only thing I've heard from him I agree on. I'm just curious as to what the middle eastern countries we are in would do once we left. I feel like they wouldn't just be like "okay we're cool."[/QUOTE]What other countries? Afghanistan is the last one.

[QUOTE=doopo6;35101927]Why. Then afghanistan will become lawless.[/QUOTE] You know as they say, a mountain only moves every millions of years.

That's good of him to say, but its no surprise. Newt has been know to leave when things when they get a little rough.

[QUOTE=doopo6;35101927]Why. Then afghanistan will become lawless.[/QUOTE] Afghanistan needs to fend for itself sooner or later. We can't occupy them forever.

Well with the budget the US is flashing his ass at for -war- situation, I agree. The budget could go to scientific discoveries or... NASA... and we could figure out a alternative to oil for cars... things become more affordable ...

[QUOTE=doopo6;35101927]Why. Then afghanistan will become lawless.[/QUOTE] Yeah their society will fall apart just like it did when the Soviets left. If we'd dismantled Al-Qaeda and found Osama at the start we could have avoided our only decade long war ever.

[QUOTE=POLOPOZOZO;35102019]Yeah their society will fall apart just like it did when the Soviets left. If we'd dismantled Al-Qaeda and found Osama at the start we could have avoided our only decade long war ever.[/QUOTE] Wasn't the American involvement in the Vietnam war from 63-75 though?

[QUOTE=Nikota;35102071]Wasn't the American involvement in the Vietnam war from 63-75 though?[/QUOTE]Yes. That was a shithole war as well.

Time to leave Earth.

That's what everyone else has been saying for quite some time.

[QUOTE=Nikota;35102071]Wasn't the American involvement in the Vietnam war from 63-75 though?[/QUOTE] Ok yeah well we aren't even preparing to leave Afghanistan until 2014 so whatever. I mean, when you say it like that there was "American involvement" in Afghanistan since 1979.

I wonder what happens when all those people come back here.

Easier said than done