Journalists Reese Erlich and Robert Parry on Obama’s escalation in Afghanistan; Michael Blecker of Swords to Plowshares projects the human costs to the new US troops deployed; Gary Chew reviews the new film “The Road”. Erlich is the author of Target Iraq and The Iran Agenda and was in Afghanistan with Norman Solomon in September (podcasts 36 and 41). Parry is a frequent contributor to the PBC Show, and runs ConsortiumNews.com We play key excerpts from Obama’s Dec. 1 speech at West Point and offer critical commentary and context. We compare Obama to Bush in some respects, offer distinctions between Iraq and Afghanistan, and debunk the myth that the “surge” in Iraq succeeded. And we describe many factors that make Obama’s plan futile and politically dangerous. Swords to Plowshares has support vets since Vietnam, and Blecker projects that 30% of those who serve in Afghanistan will return with PTSD or traumatic brain injury. www.stp-sf.org Consistent with these downbeat developments, Gary Chew says The Road is bleak and powerful Oscar material. www.tulsatvmemories.com
