He is an Army veteran who was stationed in Afghanistan within the past few years. He will discuss his experiences, and policy and peace propositions pertaining to the scheduled international force withdrawal.
This Thursday evening at 7:00 on KHSU (not KMUD this time).

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January 22, 2013 at 10:28 am
Fred Mangels
That should be interesting as I’ve found him to be a card carrying authoritarian. He’s a big government liberals of the worst kind. It will be interesting to see if he defends all Obama’s policies. My guess is he very much will as he’s a fanatic Democrat.
Where do I get this from? He happens to be among my Facebook “Friends” (He asked me. I didn’t ask him).
January 22, 2013 at 11:16 am
Eric Kirk
I’m not sure how “big government liberalism” applies to foreign policy Fred, though there is a doctrine known by its detractors from both right and left as “gunboat liberalism,” which involves the usage of the military to implement liberal social policy internationally. Hence Michael Lind’s liberal defense of intervention in Vietnam, and other examples.
But as a practical matter, other than setting a timeline for withdrawal, I don’t know that Obama’s policies in Afghanistan in particular have been all that different from Bush’s. Maybe there are some differences on strategic levels, but I don’t know that those are ideologically driven.
January 22, 2013 at 11:52 am
Fred Mangels
“…other than setting a timeline for withdrawal, I don’t know that Obama’s policies in Afghanistan in particular have been all that different from Bush’s.”
They aren’t all that different, and there’s no doubt in my mind Bush would have wanted to set a withdrawal date at some point, too. It was too early for him.
We need to keep in mind some are saying they’re planning on keeping a military presence there long after the supposed withdrawal. Bush likely would have done the same thing. That’s the way most Americans are.
I’m not sure about Iraq now. I believe nearly all the military is out of there, not from Obama, but because the Iraq government essentially demanded they leave.
January 22, 2013 at 2:53 pm
Eric Kirk
Well, he did pledge to pull out in his campaign, and now we’re out. We can argue that it was inevitable, but I’m not sure we’d be out with McCain.
On the other hand, with regard to Pakistan, Obama is more hawkish, or certainly more unilateral than Bush or McCain (who was horrified when Obama said he’d go after Bin Laden without Pakistani permission). It may be ideological in the sense that Obama feels less obligated to provide weapons which would only be used on the only democracy in the area. For better or worse, Bush and McCain wanted to keep an alliance with Pakistan strong, even at the expense of other considerations.
And to be honest, I’m not even sure who’s right on that issue.
January 23, 2013 at 11:46 am
Joe Blow
That’s the problem isn’t it Kirk, when you get right down to the bare essence there is no difference between the Democrats and the Republicans when it comes to this criminal war America is waging on the World?
January 23, 2013 at 12:54 pm
Eric Kirk
It depends on which Democrats and which Republicans. And what you mean by “the criminal war American is waging on the World.”