DC Conference: Conservatives and the War in Afghanistan

On Thursday, March 18, from 9am to 1pm (EST), the Cato Institute will feature a mini-conference:

Escalate or Withdraw? Conservatives and the War in Afghanistan
Will conservatives return to their traditional roots and ultimately oppose the war in Afghanistan? Can “nation building” succeed in the midst of that country’s bloody insurgency? What constitutes “success,” and what price should we be willing to pay for it? Please join us for a lively discussion.

It will be interesting to see who says what, since it will present an interesting mix:

  • Christopher Preble and Malou Innocent, solidly antiwar analysts at Cato
  • Tony Blankley, Washington Times editor who recently came out for US withdrawal from Afghanistan
  • Rep. Dana Rohrbacher (R-CA), who recently came out against the surge in Afghanistan
  • Freshman Rep. Tom McClintock (R-CA) who has been an ally to libertarian causes but an unknown quantity on foreign policy
  • MSNBC host Joe Scarborough (who knows what he’ll say)
  • Conservative leaders Grover Norquist and Don Devine, increasingly skeptical of US foreign adventures

The event is free-of-charge and open to the public, but requires reservations. To register for this event, please fill out the form at the bottom of this page and click submit or email events@cato.org, fax (202) 371-0841, or call (202) 789-5229 by noon, Wednesday, March 17. Please arrive early. Seating is limited and not guaranteed.

The event will also be broadcast live on the web. Check here on Thursday, March 18 from 9am to 1pm (EST).

12 thoughts on “DC Conference: Conservatives and the War in Afghanistan”

  1. Yes I'm sure the likes of Tony Blankley, Grover Norquist and Don Devine "are increasingly skeptical of U.S foreign adventures."

    Glad they can join the party now that it is politically convenient to do so. Just remember, people like this wouldn't have anything to do with such debates during the previous administration, they were too busy shilling for the war policy and calling the rest of us traitors at the slightest transgression. Enjoy their superficial humility and conciliatory tone while it lasts.

  2. Yea its so sad that almost every democrat in America was against war when Dubya was in office and now, not so much. And almost every republican was all for the wars till Obama got in office and now, not so much. What shallow pathetic leaders we have who are so transparently concerned about absolutely nothing but getting or keeping their own party in power.

    1. Try explaining this to people who still think there is a difference, in any meaningful way, between the two parties. They will just respond that one party votes one way, the other in the opposite direction and therefore there is a difference. What really matters is how consistent they are in their positions and their true intentions. The true intent for both Repubs and Dems is to continue the wars.

  3. Just how recent is Blankley's change of heart? A preliminary search turned up nothing about this particularly witless warmonger changing his mind. I would like to see his reasoning, if indeed he's singing a different tune, because nothing material's changed on either side of the argument.

    I always thought "Blankley" was a good name for Tony.

  4. Trillions of dollars have been wasted on the military-industrial complex and the worldwide American military empire. "Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what your country is doing to screw you."

  5. I was for war until the new guy got in and then I was against it.
    I was against war until the new guy got in and then I was for it. Many conservatives and liberals seem to have no principles at all. They believe in nothing—unless it's policially convenient to do so of course. I'll say this for neoconservatives. They're consistent. They love war no matter who's running the show.

  6. why argue about wether its right or not.
    support our troops.
    japan, world war 2.
    unprovoked attacks on your own soil that kills thousands is a good enough reason to go to the middle east and fix things. i know your now probably gonna say, why do WE need to fix thngs?
    something needed to be done and these people over there are begging for help. the taliban come to villages and say this is how its gonna be we believe this and if anyone disagrees were gonna kill you and your family.
    i dont see people arguing about all the money were spending on helping haiti, why arent we helping ourselves, our homeless problems?

  7. So if we would have attacked Iran in 1980 we would never have had 9/11??? WTF is McClintock thinking???

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