Afghanistan: The Death Toll Is Much Too High
According to peace activist Tom Hayden, US deaths in Afghanistan are up 273 percent since two years ago; wounded are up 430 percent in a year. More than twice as many Americans died in the first five months of 2010 as in the same period in 2009—and that in turn was almost twice as many as the previous year.
In other words, the toll on Americans dying in Afghanistan under Obama is worse than it was under Bush. Hayden didn’t bother to enumerate the no-doubt horrific numbers of Afghani dead and wounded.
Yes, we elected him knowing that he had pledged to focus the war effort on Afghanistan instead of Iraq. We also elected him to reform Wall Street, push through meaningful healthcare, move the economy forward and convert it to renewable and clean energy sources. I voted for hm in spite of his Afghanistan pledge, not because of it.
Unfortunately, while breaking so many of his campaign promises or soaking them in so much compromise that they disintegrate, this is the one he has chosen to keep. OK, Barack—you made “good” on this campaign promise. Now it’s time to proclaim victory and get the hell out. The lives of Americans and Afghanis are too precious for this nightmare to continue.
