Afghan War Editorial Post by a Random College Freshman

Article Link

This editorial’s focus is centered on the war in Afghanistan. It argues that President Obama’s choice to send or withhold troops could determine whether or not he is re-elected for another term in office. The article also points out that the US troops and the citizens of Afghanistan are waiting on the Commander-in-Chief to make a prompt decision because matters are only becoming worse with more attacks by insurgents and the fraudulent election. The article states that many political leaders in the United States are once again questioning whether or not the war should be continued at all.

The writer is trying to convince people who are moderately skeptical of the war and Obama’s actions. The author simply seems to be trying to draw support that the President’s delayed reaction is foolish and that the extra troops need to be sent quickly; otherwise the president will not be receiving another term in office. The goal is to plant doubt in anti-war people and confirm war supporter’s beliefs.

Several things make this argument quite strong. The war in Afghanistan has affected millions of people both in the United States and abroad. Obviously, the war hits close to home for those who have lost a loved one or have a family member who fought or currently fights in Afghanistan. The President’s choice also affects the citizens living in the country and surrounding Middle Eastern countries. The decision to follow his military leaders or his political party could radically change the course of the war and the lives of the people involved as well as his current political standing.

According to the article, President Obama’s career is on the line. His choices impact the average citizens’ thoughts and views about him which in turn affect whether they will vote for him in the next election. This, however, falls short of the lives Mr. Obama has on his hands concerning the war. The lives of men, women, and children could depend on his decision to send or withhold troops. No matter what the president decides, his choice will affect the lives of many.

There are several different theories as to whether or not Obama should listen to General McChrystal, Robert Gates, or to Biden, his right hand man. General McChrystal obviously wants Mr. Obama to send him thirty to forty thousand more troops so he can quickly and efficiently carry out what he believes to be a sound strategy. On the other hand, there is Vice-President Biden who is fearful that more troops could escalate the violence in the Middle East. A third person to have the ear of Obama is Defense Secretary Gates who strongly disagrees with Biden’s hands off approach but also has doubts of McChrystal’s strategy; therefore, Mr. Obama is tasked to decide which has the best plan.

Other writers agree that Mr. Obama is taking his time but disagree on the reason. Some say he is a coward while others say he is simply trying to make a wise decision. Some writers also point out that Obama has many other things on his plate such as health care and a bad economy; however all seem to agree a decision must be made and the sooner the better.

There are several logical fallacies, yet very few or no factual errors. Most of the logical errors seem to be relegated to a few categories. In the very first paragraph the author says, “Top US officials thrashed out options for Afghanistan in a dispute that has split the administration and could decide the future of the fight against al-Qaeda and President Barack Obama’s hopes of a second term.” This sentence uses the slippery slope argument that one mistake could lead to an even larger problem and eventually collapse the administration or Obama’s career. The second argument the writer uses is the guilt by association argument when he writes, “The skeptics both then and now, have been led by Joe Biden, vice-president.” The author uses the AD Populem argument several times when he uses words such as observers, participants, etc. In one such sentence the author states, “Polls show the war is increasingly unpopular.” He uses AD Populem and AD Hominem when he writes, “Indeed, many observers argue the debate has been unduly centered on military resources, because of the administration’s sense of drift and lack of focus on Afghanistan.” The author uses AD Populem when he says “many observers believe” and AD Hominem because he is arguing towards the administration’s policies. Finally, the author uses the AD Populem and appeal to tradition argument when he states, “But few observers believe that a Biden alternative of focusing on a narrow counter-terrorism mission is going to win the day-not least because of the influence of Robert Gates, the defense secretary, who publicly insists the war cannot be fought “remotely”, with drones just hitting al-Quaeda targets.” He uses AD Populem once again when he says “few” would agree with Biden’s strategy. Appeal to tradition comes into play because the writer is implying that traditionally the secretary of defense knows more than the vice-president about war; therefore, no one should or will listen to the vice-president.

I for the most part do agree with this article. I believe the author knows his audience and writes in a fairly convincing manner; however, I would get rid of some of the oblique references about “observers” and “polls” and mention some of the specific names of the observers and the poll. Generally, I think he should just be more specific about where he obtained some of his data as it can have a large effect on the validity of the article.

I do feel that the writer drew a partially correct conclusion. Yes, the president’s choice on the war could greatly decide whether he will be re-elected into office but will probably not be the sole reason he would not get a second term. The economy and health crisis will also tie into the president’s re-election plans. I agree with the author that the president needs to send troops and do it quickly. I also feel that the author did a decent job of expressing his exasperation at President Obama possibly not listening to his secretary of defense or general in Afghanistan. No matter what his choice, Obama must remember that his choice will affect thousands of people.