Pentagon spokesman Navy Captain John Kirby claimed no explosives were found in the vehicle. Panetta's visit went on as planned. Afghans want no part of him and US forces he represents.
Partners in Crime Plan Their Next One
On March 14, two unindicted war criminals met in Washington. Obama and Britain's David Cameron pledged unity on Afghan policy. In a Rose Garden news conference, Obama said "I don't anticipate at this stage that we're going to be making any sudden additional changes to the plan we currently have."
In other words, status quo occupation and tactics continue. They include daily death squad and drone killings.
Unstated was that permanent US occupation's planned like in Iraq. Troop drawdowns conceal repositioning them and Washington's intent to stay. They'll remain on small town-sized super-bases built for permanency. Leaving's not an option, though Afghans and Iraqis may have final say.
Obama and Cameron also concurred on Syria and Iran. They're committed for regime change by any means, including war. It defines the "special relationship" based on ravaging the world one country at a time or in multiples. No policy change is planned.
Asked about progress in Afghanistan, Obama duplicitously told reporters:
"If you compare where we are today with where we've been two, three years ago, the situation is considerably improved."
An Honest Afghanistan Assessment
In fact, the situation's much worse, according to army Lt. Colonel Daniel Davis after returning from his second Afghan tour. Assessing the war in an 84-page unclassified report , as well as another classified one, he described conditions as disastrous. Pentagon commanders suppress how bad. "How many more men must die in support of a mission that is not succeeding," he asked?
His report's damning opening lines said:
"Senior ranking U.S. military leaders have so distorted the truth when communicating with the U.S. Congress and American people in regards to conditions on the ground in Afghanistan that the truth has become unrecognizable. This deception has damaged America's credibility among both our allies and enemies, severely limiting our ability to reach a political solution to the war in Afghanistan."His classified report is more explicit. "If the public had access to these classified reports they would see the dramatic gulf between what is often said in public by our senior leaders and what is actually true behind the scenes. It would be illegal for me to discuss, use, or cite classified material in an open venue, and thus I will not do so."
Last month, Davis headlined an Armed Forces Journal article, "Truth, lies and Afghanistan," saying:
For months, he traveled over 9,000 miles, spoke with US forces in numerous areas from low-ranking ones to commanders and staff members at every echelon. He also talked at length with Afghan security officials, civilians and village elders.
