In September 2007, Obama grilled General Petraeus and criticized the actions of the military. This time around though, with Obama’s recent decision to increase the number of troops in Afghanistan, there has been little scrutiny from Congress-–unlike the ultimately successful “surge” in Iraq that Petraeus was forced to defend to a skeptical Congress two years ago. Obama’s decision lacks oversight from members of Congress. The 17 February escalation entailed approximately 17,000 additional U.S. troops that will be deployed to Afghanistan in the next few months. This will mean an approximately 50% increase over the estimated 38,000 troops already there.
Blog Smith is inspired by the myth of Hephaestus in the creation of blacksmith-like, forged materials: ideas. This blog analyzes topics that interest me: IT, politics, technology, history, education, music, and the history of religions.