10 years into the longest war in U.S. history: Is it too much to ask for a plan?

Will Keola Thomas – Afghanistan Study Group

On Thursday, Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA) and Rep. Walter Jones (R-NC) introduced new legislation that would require the Obama administration to present an exit strategy for U.S. forces from Afghanistan.

You heard right.

It’s not a demand that all troops be brought home tomorrow. It’s not a call for the U.S. footprint to be removed from particular districts and provinces of Afghanistan where it has provoked resentment and increased instability. It’s not a “thousand-mile screwdriver” wielded by meddling congressmen in Washington D.C. attempting to micro-manage a war  on the other side of the planet.

It simply asks that the Obama administration provide a clear plan to end the war in Afghanistan.

The fact that the United States has bled and spent for over a decade without one is a tragedy.

Specifically, the “Afghanistan Exit and Accountability Act” would:

“1. Require the President to transmit to Congress a plan with a timeframe and completion date on the transition of U.S. military and security operations in Afghanistan to the Government of Afghanistan.”

That’s the “Exit” part. Here’s the “Accountability”:

“2. Require the President to report quarterly (i.e. every 90 days) on the status of that transition, and the human and financial costs of remaining in Afghanistan, including increased deficit and public debt; and

3. Included in those quarterly reports, the President must disclose to Congress the savings in 5-year, 10-year and 20-year time periods were the U.S. to accelerate redeployment and conclude the transition of all U.S. and military and security operations to Afghanistan within 180 days (i.e. 6 months).”

Sounds downright reasonable…practical even.

Especially for a war that has dragged on for over a decade without an exit strategy or much accountability. A war that began before the first iPod was released(!). A war that will cost almost $120 billion this year and over $1 trillion in the coming decades as the country fulfills its obligation to care for returning veterans. A war in which progress is always “fragile and reversible” and in which goals are defined by ethereal words like “significant” and “sustainable” that are always just out of reach.

But the proposed bill is not all a gentle prodding of the administration to do the right thing. A political dare is embedded in the text of the legislation. The McGovern/Jones bill challenges the Obama administration to make plain the human and financial costs of the war in comparing the short, medium, and long-term costs of maintaining the status quo versus the money and lives that could be saved by bringing the troops home. Rep.’s McGovern and Jones know that a true understanding of the enormous costs of the war among the American public would bring a quicker drawdown than any timeline proposed in Washington.

The death of Osama bin Laden has provided a historic political opportunity to bring the war to a close. In one of the most divided Congresses in history, the bill has already gathered a significant number co-sponsors from both parties:

Republicans:

Walter B. Jones (NC)
Jason Chaffetz (UT)
Ron Paul (TX)
Jimmy Duncan (TN)
Tim Johnson (IL)
Justin Amash (MI)
Roscoe G. Bartlett (MD)

Democrats:

Jim MccGovern (MA)
Loretta Sanchez (CA)
Dave Loebsack (IA)
John Garamendi (CA)
John Lewis (GA)
David Cicline (RI)
Louise Slaughter (NY)
Peter Welch (VT)
Jim Moran (VA)

Don’t see your representative’s name? Give their office a quick call or email and urge them to support the “Afghanistan Exit and Accountability Act.” For ten years Congress has failed to pass a bill demanding a plan to end this counterproductive war, so they clearly could use some guidance and support from their constituents.

As Rep. McGovern noted Thursday morning:

“For too long, Congress has ducked its proper oversight responsibilities when it comes to the war in Afghanistan. We’ve avoided meaningful debate and discussion and have chosen to simply ‘go along to get along.’ Today we – in a bipartisan way – plan to force an end to that pattern.”

It’s not too much to ask.

Update: To contact your congressman go to www.contactingthecongress.org

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