What's the Real Truth about the War in Afghanistan?
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An Army Lieutenant Colonel praised by superiors for his "devotion to mission accomplishment" says reports of "progress" in Afghanistan are Pentagon spin. We hear from him and others. Also, Santorum's mini-sweep. On Reporter's Notebook, Mrs. Thatcher's war...all over again?
Banner image: US Marines carry a wounded comrade, who was hit by an Improvised Explosive Device (IED), to a Medevac helicopter of US Army's Task Force Lift 'Dust Off,' Charlie Company 1-171 Aviation Regiment in Helmand province on November 10, 2011. Photo by Behrouz Mehri/AFP/Getty Images
Making News
Santorum Sweeps Three States ()
Last night was the biggest so far in Rick Santorum's bid for the Republican presidential nomination. He won in Colorado, took Missouri by 30 points and, in Minnesota Mitt Romney was third behind Ron Paul. Molly Ball reports on politics for The Atlantic magazine.
Guests:
- Molly Ball: The Atlantic, @mollyesque
Main Topic
War in Afghanistan: Are Pentagon Officials Telling the Truth? ()
Army Lieutenant Colonel Daniel Davis has risked his career by accusing the Pentagon of misleading the public with reports of progress in Afghanistan. After a year of visits to every combat zone — hoping that "rosy official statements" were true, he saw "the absence of success on virtually every level," and reported that the Pentagon is not telling the truth about what it calls "progress in Afghanistan." We speak with Davis and others, including one of the members of Congress whom Davis briefed with classified information. How widely shared is the colonel's conclusion that American soldiers are dying in a war America can't win?
Guests:
- Scott Shane: New York Times, @ScottShaneNYT
- Daniel Davis: US Army
- John Garamendi: US Congress, @RepGaramendi
- Michael O'Hanlon: Brookings Institution
- Matthew Hoh: Center for International Policy, @matthewhoh
Links:
- Davis on 'truth, lies and Afghanistan' (Armed Forces Journal)
- Shane on Davis' report about the war in Afghanistan
- Readers' responses to Shane's article
- Garamendi's call for and end to the war in Afghanistan
- O'Hanlon's 'Toughing It Out in Afghanistan'
- Hoh on 'Davis, death and deception in Afghanistan'
- Walter Jones (R-NC) on the military budget
Reporter's Notebook
Britain and Argentina Flare Up over Falklands, 30 Years On ()
It's been almost 30 years since former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher waged war to retain the Falkland Islands, 300 miles off Argentina. Now Britain's current leaders are accusing Argentina of "colonialism." Britain has sent the destroyer HMS Dauntless to replace a less powerful ship in the South Atlantic, and Price William – second in line to the British throne – has begun his posting in the British territory. Mary Dejevsky is chief editorial writer for The Independent in London.
Guests:
- Mary Dejevsky: The Independent
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