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2009 Ron Paul Chapter 97

Ron Paul Quotes.com: Afghanistan, Part 2

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Afghanistan, Part 2
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2009 Ron Paul 97:1
Mr. PAUL. I thank you for yielding. I want to just make a couple of points in closing. The statement at the beginning of this war was made that it’s different this time. Even though the history is well known about Afghanistan – it’s ancient history, but it’s different this time because we’re different, and it’s not going to have the same result. But so far, you know, they haven’t caught Osama bin Laden, and we don’t have a national government, really. We don’t have really honest elections. We haven’t won the hearts and minds of the people. There is a lot of dissension, and it is a miserable place. It is really a total failure, let alone the cost, the cost of life and limb and money. I mean, it is just a total failure. The thought that we would pursue this and expand it and send more troops just blows my mind.

2009 Ron Paul 97:2
I just want to mention a couple of things that I think are bad arguments. One thing is we are involved there, we have invested too much, and, therefore, we have to save face because it would look terrible if we had to leave. But it is like in medicine. What if we, in medicine, were doing the wrong thing, made the wrong diagnosis? Would we keep doing it to prove that we are right or are we going listen to the patient and to the results? Mr. KAGEN. You would lose your license.

2009 Ron Paul 97:3
Mr. PAUL. Yes, that’s right. But it seems like politicians don’t lose their license. Maybe they should. Maybe there will be more this year or something. But the other argument they make is, if you take a less militant viewpoint as we all do that we’re not supportive of the troops. The troops don’t believe that. The troops I talk to and the ones Mr. JONES talks to, they know we care about them, and they shouldn’t be put in harm’s way unless it is absolutely necessary.

2009 Ron Paul 97:4
This other argument is, well, we have got to go over there to kill them because they want to kill us. Well, like I mentioned before, it wasn’t the Afghans that came over here, but if we’re in their country killing them, we’re going to create more terrorists. And the more people we send, the more terrorists, and the more we have to kill. And now it’s spreading. That’s what I’m worried about in this war.

2009 Ron Paul 97:5
There was one individual – I don’t know his name – but they believed he was in Pakistan, so he was part of the terrorist group, the people who were opposing the occupation. So they sent 15 cruise missiles, drones, over looking for him. It took the 15th one to kill him. But 14 landed, and there was an estimate made that about 1,000 civilians were killed in this manner. How many more terrorists have we developed under those circumstances?

2009 Ron Paul 97:6
I do want to have 1 minute here to read a quote, and then I will yield back. This quote comes from a Russian general talking to Gorbachev, and Gorbachev went into office in 1985, and this was a year later. The general was talking to Gorbachev. Just think, Gorbachev was in office 1 year. He had the problem. He was trying to get out. He didn’t get out until 1989. But the general says, “Military actions in Afghanistan will soon be 7 years old,” and told Mr. Gorbachev at a November 1986 Politburo session, “There is no single piece of land in this country which has not been occupied by a Soviet soldier. Nonetheless, the majority of the territory remains in the hands of rebels.” It reminds me of the conversation between Colonel Tu and Sumner after Vietnam. And Sumner, our colonel, says, You know, we defeated you in every battle in Vietnam. And Tu looked at him, and he said, Yes, I agree, but it was also irrelevant.

2009 Ron Paul 97:7
I yield back.


2009 Ron Paul 97:8


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