Canadian commander in Afstan worries about the home front

An interview with Brig.-Gen. David Fraser:

It is the Canadian public and not the Taliban that is the greatest threat to peace and prosperity in Afghanistan, Canada's top military man on the ground told the Star.

In one of his most pointed political statements to date, Brig.-Gen. David Fraser, commander of NATO's eight-nation effort to put down southern Afghanistan's increasingly visible insurgency, said the weakest link in the mission is Canadians' tendency to seize on negatives and worry them to death.

The formula for failure, Fraser said, is "our country not supporting the needs of the Afghans who are looking for a future. We need to see this through for as long as Afghans want us here."..

Addressing critics who argue that a just cause alone does not guarantee victory, Fraser said Canadians should have the patience to let Afghans answer that question.

"It is the Afghans' choice [my emphasis - MC]. If they don't want us here any more, all they have to do is stand up and say, `Please leave. We don't think you can be of assistance.' But that's not the message I'm getting.

"We're getting this right. We just have to persevere and stick it out."..

"You know, polls be damned. With the men and women in this theatre and the support we get from the government, we're going to go through it. We're going to see it through."

An earlier post: "Afstan: The media and government need to do better". Meanwhile, an interesting post at SDA on the UK home front: "The British Bulldog is dead".