The cost of war in Afghanistan

The cost of war in Afghanistan

EDITOR:

On “Meet the Press,” Retired Gen. Barry McCaffrey was asked if we can defeat the Taliban. He replied that in 10 years, at $5 billion a month, we can leave Afghanistan with a viable government and national army.

I did the math. That adds up to $600 billion. Does anybody really believe that the Taliban are a $600 billion threat to America’s national security? Think about it. If our generals had been told around 1980 when USSR invaded Afghanistan that we can trick them into blowing $600 billion in Afghanistan they would have leaped for joy. “Let’s go for it,” they would have shouted. “Do you really think they could be that stupid?”

Apparently money is no object to the U.S. government and there is no stopping us from betting on this poker game. It’s true that the Taliban are pretty bad by our own political standards although more or less about the same as the other power/political parties in Afghanistan, but they are not and never have been a threat to America’s security. It all boils down to this: We can save about 450,000 American lives in ten years by putting our money in health care for all, or we can do the “patriotic” thing and leave Afghanistan with a viable government. Maybe.

ROGER LAFONTAINE

Youngstown