Minneapolis march opposing escalation in Afghanistan

Rini Templeton - protest march

The presidential speech defending the war comes tonight, but the Afghanistan escalation is already underway, according to the New York Times. The U.S. will send 30,000 additional troops, the Brits will send 100, and the French will send none, demonstrating the depth of international support for the war. The depth of U.S. support? There are polls and polls, but a recent Miami Herald editorial is a measure of the lack of support:

The public, however, is skeptical. Last week’s polls show that Americans are increasingly disillusioned about the U.S. role in Afghanistan. One poll, commissioned by CNN, found respondents evenly divided over further troop deployments. Another poll, commissioned by USA Today, found nearly half endorsing the addition of more soldiers, but four in 10 saying it’s time to begin withdrawing.

LBJ’s dilemma, too

This is the same dilemma Lyndon Johnson faced in Vietnam. The more troops he deployed, the more support he lost back home; ultimately, it destroyed his presidency. …

Mr. Obama, however, is just beginning his own presidency. He inherited this unfinished and mismanaged war, but Americans are already making a judgment that he is not up to the task. The USA Today poll found that 55 percent disapprove of the way he is handling Afghanistan and 35 percent approve, a reversal of his 56 percent approval rating four months ago.

DASWO (Direct Action to Stop the War and Occupation) announced a march for Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. The march is announced as “unpermitted,” meaning that it does not have official or police permission.

THIS WEDNESDAY: EMERGENCY UNPERMITTED MARCH AGAINST THE SURGE IN AFGHANISTAN

OBAMA WILL BE ANNOUNCING A MASSIVE SURGE OF 30-40,000 TROOPS TO AFGHANISTAN ON THE EVENING OF DECEMBER 1ST.

WE ARE MARCHING WEDNESDAY THE 2ND AT 5:30 PM, LEAVING FROM THE SW CORNER OF LORING PARK AND MARCHING ON DOWNTOWN MINNEAPOLIS.