Less than 24-hours before President Obama’s scheduled Afghanistan policy announcement, Sen. John Kerry released a report entitled: “Tora Bora Revisited: How We Failed to Get Bin Laden and Why it Matters Today.”

If Sen. Kerry, the Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Relation’s report is a precursor to President Obama’s Afghanistan policy, expect a litany of Bush bashing to abundantly flow on Tuesday night.

In the opening Letter of Transmittal to his colleagues, Sen. Kerry took a deliberate swipe at the Bush Administration when he wrote in part: “Our inability to finish the job in late 2001 has contributed to a conflict today that endangers not just our troops and those of our allies, but the stability of a volatile and vital region. This report relies on new and existing information to explore the consequences of the failure to eliminate bin Laden and other extremist leaders in the hope that we can learn from the mistakes of the past.”

In the executive summary, the criticisms of the Bush policies persist:

Removing the Al Qaeda leader from the battlefield eight years ago would not have eliminated the worldwide extremist threat. But the decisions that opened the door for his escape to Pakistan allowed bin Laden to emerge as a potent symbolic figure who continues to attract a steady flow of money and inspire fanatics worldwide. The failure to finish the job represents a lost opportunity that forever altered the course of the conflict in Afghanistan and the future of international terrorism, leaving the American people more vulnerable to terrorism, laying the foundation for today’s protracted Afghan insurgency and inflaming the internal strife now endangering Pakistan. Al Qaeda shifted its locus across the border into Pakistan, where it has trained extremists linked to numerous plots, including the July 2005 transit bombings in London and two recent aborted attacks involving people living in the United States. The terrorist group’s resurgence in Pakistan has coincided with the rising violence orchestrated in Afghanistan by the Taliban, whose leaders also escaped only to re-emerge to direct today’s increasingly lethal Afghan insurgency.

The condemnation of the Bush Administration does not abate. Sen. Kerry’s report essentially accuses the Bush Administration of lying to the America people.

After bin Laden’s escape, some military and intelligence analysts and the press criticized the Pentagon’s failure to mount a full-scale attack despite the tough rhetoric by President Bush. Franks, Vice President Dick Cheney and others defended the decision, arguing that the intelligence was inconclusive about the Al Qaeda leader’s location. But the review of existing literature, unclassified government records and interviews with central participants underlying this report removes any lingering doubts and makes it clear that Osama bin Laden was within our grasp at Tora Bora.

Sen. Kerry’s report finishes up precisely as it began; bashing the Bush Administration. The report concludes, “The Price of Failure:”

For American taxpayers, the financial costs of the conflict have been staggering. The first eight years cost an estimated $243 billion and about $70 billion has been appropriated for the current fiscal year—a figure that does not include any increase in troops. But the highest price is being paid on a daily basis in Afghanistan and Pakistan, where 68,000 American troops and hundreds of U.S. civilians are engaged in the ninth year of a protracted conflict and the Afghan people endure a third decade of violence. So far, about 950 U.S. troops and nearly 600 allied soldiers have lost their lives in Operation Enduring Freedom, a conflict in which the outcome remains in grave doubt in large part because the extremists behind the violence were not eliminated in 2001.

Three months have passed since General Stanley McChrystal urgently requested more troops in Afghanistan. The General warned the Administration that he needed more troops within the next year or else the conflict “will likely result in failure.”

In a few hours the long awaited details of President Obama’s Afghanistan policy, which reportedly includes an additional 30,000 troops, will be revealed. Until then, what is clear is the ongoing war on the Bush Administration has received a complete reinforcement.

Read the entire report here.

Update: Text of President Obama’s Speech on Afghanistan complete with some Bush bashing.

Then, in early 2003, the decision was made to wage a second war, in Iraq. The wrenching debate over the Iraq war is well-known and need not be repeated here. It’s enough to say that for the next six years, the Iraq war drew the dominant share of our troops, our resources, our diplomacy, and our national attention — and that the decision to go into Iraq caused substantial rifts between America and much of the world.

The rose colored glasses have fallen off Der Spiegel’s face. Reaction to Obama’s speech.
Searching in Vain for the Obama Magic

President Barack Obama’s Tuesday speech left a bad taste in many mouths.

Never before has a speech by President Barack Obama felt as false as his Tuesday address announcing America’s new strategy for Afghanistan. It seemed like a campaign speech combined with Bush rhetoric — and left both dreamers and realists feeling distraught.

One can hardly blame the West Point leadership. The academy commanders did their best to ensure that Commander-in-Chief Barack Obama’s speech would be well-received.

Just minutes before the president took the stage inside Eisenhower Hall, the gathered cadets were asked to respond “enthusiastically” to the speech. But it didn’t help: The soldiers’ reception was cool.

One didn’t have to be a cadet on Tuesday to feel a bit of nausea upon hearing Obama’s speech. It was the least truthful address that he has ever held. He spoke of responsibility, but almost every sentence smelled of party tactics. He demanded sacrifice, but he was unable to say what it was for exactly.

An additional 30,000 US soldiers are to march into Afghanistan — and then they will march right back out again. America is going to war — and from there it will continue ahead to peace. It was the speech of a Nobel War Prize laureate.

Remember when Berlin cheered and adored Obama, the proud citizen of the world? It wasn’t that long ago.

http://www.marinkapeschmann.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/John-Kerry.jpg
More: UN praises Obama’s plans.

Statement attributable to the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General in support of
the United States’ Plan for Afghanistan as announced by President Barack Obama
on 1 December 2009

The Secretary-General welcomes the new US plan for Afghanistan announced by President Barack Obama yesterday evening. He notes with appreciation the proposed approach to balance military and civilian efforts and the emphasis on strengthening the capacity of Afghan institutions and Afghan security forces in particular.

The Secretary-General strongly feels that institution-building is a long-term but necessary process that will ultimately ensure the sustainability of the international community’s joint efforts in Afghanistan. The United Nations remains committed to support all efforts to transition to increased Afghan ownership, responsibility and leadership in achieving lasting peace, stability and development in the country.

New York, 2 December 2009

Even more: Afghans and Pakistanis Concerned Over U.S. Plan

Related posts:

1. Senator John Kerry: “I believe his (General McChrystal’s) current plan reaches too far too fast.”
2. Afghanistan: Boots on the Ground Report: The Cost of Delay
3. Obama’s Iran Policy Offers the Bush Policies to Iran–in Person
4. VIDEO: Afghanistan Combat Outpost
5. Cpl. Jason Bogar’s last letter to his family. KIA Afghanistan