Sunday, November 21, 2010

Krugman's "There Will Be Blood"; In Case You Didn't Know, Paul, There Already Is Blood in Abundance

In an op-ed in today's New York Times entitled "There Will Be Blood" (http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/22/opinion/22krugman.html?ref=opinion), Paul Krugman takes the position that Republicans have no interest in making America governable, unless they are doing the governing. Krugman expects Republicans to cooperate with Obama in increasing the limit to federal debt, extending unemployment benefits, and approving a strategic arms treaty.

All the while, Krugman ignores the other elephant in the room.

"There will be blood"? I have news for you, Paul, there already is blood, and no shortage of it. One of Obama's campaign promises was to end the war in Afghanistan. Later, as president, Obama promised Americans that he would withdraw U.S. troops in July 2011. Yesterday, we were told that NATO, i.e. the U.S., will not leave Afghanistan until 2014 (see: http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/europe/11/20/nato.afghanistan.agreement/index.html?hpt=T2).

The monetary cost to the U.S. for this futile misadventure, which every week also results in the tragic death and maiming of American soldiers and Afghan civilians: Some $6 billion per month.

Sorry, Mr. Krugman, this is now Obama's war, and there can be no semblance of a balanced budget or a return to U.S. economic growth until Obama puts an end to this folly, which is leading nowhere.

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