Sen. Bob Kerrey May Be Right (Or, He May Be Crazy)

Senator Bob Kerrey wrote an Op-Ed article for the Wall Street Journal last weekend, in which he argued that the United States must stay in Afghanistan to honor the commitment we've made there.

"It's not just a question of military action alone," said Kerrey, now president of The New School University. "There's significant reform necessary on the government side."

Increasing troop numbers, as General Stanley A. McChrystal recommended to President Obama, does not mean Afghanistan will wind up like Vietnam, in Kerrey's view.

"McChrystal is saying it would be temporary, much the same way the surge was temporary," said Kerrey, referring to the troop surge in Iraq, which he said enabled the U.S. to withdraw from that country in a more efficient fashion.

Tom Gouttierre, a respected Afghanistan expert who has traveled the country extensively and hails from Kerrey's home state of Nebraska, has made the case that an awful lot of Afghanis have democratic instincts and capabilities.

"What we see most of the time are tribal leaders giving the impression there's no possibility for democracy to survive," said Kerrey. "We're not going to impose our system upon the Afghanis, but they're a heck of a lot better if we stay with them."

The alternative, he continued, is to let the terrorist-laden Taliban return to power, which would be an even worse fate than the Karzai government.

"As corrupt and as bad as you think the Karzai government is, as tarnished as you think the last election was — you haven't seen anything until you get the Taliban back in power," said Kerrey. "There are no elections with the Taliban, there is no due process with the Taliban, and there is no participation in government with the Taliban."

To Imus's "what do we care" question about Afghanistan, Kerrey said the United States, unfortunately or not, carries the burden of history.

"We are the preeminent military, political, and economic power in the world," said Kerrey, pointing to other instances — the Korean War, the Cold War — where U.S. intervention proved worthwhile.

"We wish it would fall to somebody else at times," he added. "But give our values...I'm glad the United States of America, at least for the moment, has that capability."

Kerrey believes our influence in Iraq, while imperfect, has ensured that country will never again elect someone like Saddam Hussein. But, he cautioned, "They need a really tough government. We may not like the way they operate...but far better for them to have at least some form of democracy than to have a military dictator killing and terrorizing."

Imus sighed, saying he hopes Kerrey is right.

"Well," said Kerrey, "I'm either right or I'm wrong!"

Excellent point.

-Julie Kanfer