The Donald has been hoodwinked by three discredited, failed generals—Kelly, McMasters and Mattis—-who have been dissembling, spinning and lying to civilian officials about Afghanistan for most of the past 17 years.

Any generals worth their salt would have told their civilian superiors years ago that Afghanistan is mission impossible and irrelevant to the security of the American homeland. That’s because there never was more than a few hundred al-Qaeda operatives in Afghanistan and when bin-Laden hightailed to his hideaway in Pakistan in 2003 that should have been the end of Washington’s pointless but incredibly destructive invasion and occupation.By contrast, there was never any US national security interest whatsoever in cleansing the godforsaken lands of the Hindu Kush of the 12th century Taliban fanatics who took over this hapless country during the 1990s. And largely with weapons that had been supplied by the CIA during the 1980s in a pointless mission to drive the Soviets out.

In short, the generals have spent 17 years sacrificing 2,400 dead US soldiers, 20,000 wounded and upwards of $1 trillion of taxpayer money to do what? Kill tens of thousands of Taliban who never threatened us and who could not remotely harm any American in farms, towns and cities across the land from sea to shining sea—-even as Washington’s war machine has reduced the Afghans’ own country to rubble and economic desolation and caused upwards of 60,000 civilian deaths and casualties.

Needless to say, rather than listening to his generals, the Donald would have been well advised to heed the advice of the one Senator who actually understands and can articulate the truth about Washington’s Afghan disaster. Said Rand Paul, it’s time to come home now:

The mission in Afghanistan has lost its purpose, and I think it is a terrible idea to send any more troops into that war. It’s time to come home now.

This is very long, but very worth reading.

https://www.lewrockwell.com/2017/08/david-stockman/awful-flip-flop/