With friends like these, who needs enemies?

On 18 August, 2008, near Sarobi, Afghanistan, 10 French soldiers were killed. They had recently taken over security for the area from the Italian contingent to NATO for OEF.

The London Times is reporting a disturbing discovery. The Times alleges that the Italians were bribing the Taleban to keep them from attacking Italian construction crews and Italian troops in the area. This is an outrageous conduct on the part of one of NATO’s longest standing members.

The allegations claim that the French had no idea of the bribery to keep Italian troops safe before taking over security duties for the area. When the French troops took over, they were hit hard. The French troops thought they had inherited a relatively quiet area from the Italian’s experience there.

This is a very serious situation. NATO cannot have each contributing country making separate deals with the enemy to keep them from attacking their troops. That is simply traitorous in its scope and intent. Such conduct frees up the Taleban resources in that area for use against the rest of NATO’s forces fighting in their areas to rid Afghanistan of the Taleban’s insanity.

Surely the Italians realized that the monies paid would be used to buy arms and IED components to use against their brothers in arms?

An investigation needs to be undertaken at the highest levels of government. If Italy had a policy to bribe the enemy, then Italy should be forced to pay reparations for all NATO troops killed and wounded during the period their troops were protected by bribes to the enemy. Further, whomever authorized this policy should face trial as a traitor, and be imprisoned for life. Any Italian military who were aware of this policy should face courts martial, and imprisoned for their dishonorable conduct. One cannot fight a war in which one’s trusted allies are buying off the enemy.

Worse to me, as reported in the Washington Times, is the fact that our government has taken $2,600,000,000 ($2.6B) from our military budget that was to be used to support our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. Instead, it was reappropriated to feel good projects, such as a Teddy Kennedy Educational Institute for $20,000,000. How much ammunition, equipment, medical supplies, helicopters and spares parts for helicopters could this money have purchased?

On the one hand, we have the Italians bribing the big bad Taleban to leave their troops unharmed. On the other, we have the Obama Administration and its socialist Congress stealing from the defense budget to pay off special interests.

Anyone with a loved one in the military should contact their congressman and the Obama Administration and demand they restore the soldiers’ funding. Cutting the military’s ability to support our troops is simply insane. In that vein, the Italians’ duplicity and the Obama Administration’s failure to support our troops serve the same purpose. This conduct degrades NATO’s ability to wage a war and gives the enemy comfort and solace in the knowledge that the Western governments lack the will to see the conflict through.

How long before the radical Muslim element gets lucky and we are hit again, as on 9-11? Not as if they are not trying, given the recent revelations about CAIR and its association with HAMAS, and the conspiracies broken up by the FBI.

Yet, Obama/Pelosi/Reid et al are going hell bent for leather to establish the U.S. as a socialist state while short sheeting our troops in the field. It can be said that the Italians were just trying to mitigate casualties and avoid controversy at home. By cutting money out of the budget intended for necessary supplies and training, Obama et al have acted with open eyes to endanger our troops in a time of war.