The Deaths of Marines in Afghanistan are Inexcusable

Doug Ross is reporting on the deaths of four brave United States Marines in Afghanistan:

McClatchy's Jonathan S. Landay posts a first-person account of a deadly ambush in Afghanistan.

We walked into a trap, a killing zone of relentless gunfire and rocket
barrages from Afghan insurgents hidden in the mountainsides and in a fortress-like village where women and children were replenishing their ammunition."We will do to you what we did to the Russians," the insurgent's leader boasted over the radio, referring to the failure of Soviet troops to capture Ganjgal during the 1979-89 Soviet
occupation...(emphasis mine)

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U.S. commanders, citing new rules to avoid civilian casualties, rejected
repeated calls to unleash artillery rounds at attackers dug into the slopes and
tree lines — despite being told repeatedly that they weren't near the
village. (Emphasis mine)

"We are pinned down. We are running low on ammo. We have no air. We've lost
today," Marine Maj. Kevin Williams, 37, said through his translator to his
Afghan counterpart, responding to the latter's repeated demands for
helicopters.

Four U.S. Marines were killed Tuesday, the most U.S. service members
assigned as trainers to the Afghan National Army to be lost in a single incident
since the 2001 U.S.-led invasion... Three Americans and 19 Afghans were
wounded...

This is beyond outrageous. If we are going to fight this war than we must fight it. We can not send our precious troops in to Afghanistan or any other country to be slaughtered because WE have tied their hands behind their backs. What kind of commander leaves his own men to be slaughtered? Is this Commander and Chief intentionally put our soldiers in harm's way?

William Jacobson says that we should support President Obama on the war in Afghanistan. I want to Professor, but not if this is how he intends to prosecute this war. It is unconscionable for a Commander and Chief to send our troops in to a war zone and then refuse to provide them with the backup and fire power that they need.

If we are going to fight, then we must fight to win.