Some might say such a horse trading deal would be immoral, but is it. Where are more lives likely to be lost or saved? Would such a deal be better for Americans?

Such questions should probably never be asked because people aren’t especially good at answering them and that’s an embarrassment.

On AfPak specifically, the question has always been whether we have destroyed Al Qaeda. The Taliban are not one and the same as AQ and they aren’t likely to be a threat to us if we leave one of them alive. It was mostly the Egyptian al Zawahiri and the Saudi-Yemeni bin Laden who wanted to hurt America because of our presence in the Middle East and our support of Israel. The Taliban have never shown a strong interest in fighting us over that.

Second, if Al Qaeda is still strong, then why would we have so much trouble finding them when they move with the Taliban from Pak to Af? Seems McChrystal needs new glasses, unless it’s someone further up the food chain who has made it more difficult for McChrystal’s Af forces to do the job properly.

I thought we were supposed to be the anvil to Pakistan’s hammer. They would attack and push the Taliban & AQ in Pakistan and if the T & AQ ran back to Afghanistan we would be there to crush them (as anvils do). Where has the anvil effect been?

We know there are jihadists and we know the Taliban are very proud and will fight a very long time (even in the face of big defeats). Their recent big battle in Afghanistan’s north shows they know how to prepare and attack. Our 145 fighters lost 10, they had 700 and lost about 100. We lost 10, they lost 100. I’d say that if we can fight them and have our resources, then we can win. So, why haven’t we had more battles until recently when there has been talk of our retreat? Is it that the enemy wants to hit us and then watch us leave, so they can claim victory?

There’s too much ego involved. We have to decide what to do based on whether we’re done with Al Qaeda. They attacked us (presumably), not Saddam Hussein or the Taliban.

even obama has fallen into line with their desires for continual wars for profits

makes one wonder who controls the country

obama may only be a figure head

we will be in afghan for a long time to come

after all the chinese are paying for the war not the american taxpayer

we dont want health care for the sick and needy but wars for profits americans love that

the only thing we make anymore is wars

the christian nation always at war

christianity died on the cross.

The open for business sign has been set out, but unfortunately, the current residents do not feel like selling their heritage. Our wise men don’t believe in the right of self determinism, and therefore, terror will need to be administered until they agree that serfdom is in their longterm self interests.

All the contorting and twisting will not make these lies fit the story line they need us to believe – that is their real problem. Some things never change.

The White Man’s Burden by Rudyard Kipling

Take up the White Man’s burden–
Send forth the best ye breed–
Go, bind your sons to exile
To serve your captives’ need;
To wait, in heavy harness,
On fluttered folk and wild–
Your new-caught sullen peoples,
Half devil and half child.

Take up the White Man’s burden–
In patience to abide,
To veil the threat of terror
And check the show of pride;
By open speech and simple,
An hundred times made plain,
To seek another’s profit
And work another’s gain.

Take up the White Man’s burden–
The savage wars of peace–
Fill full the mouth of Famine,
And bid the sickness cease;
And when your goal is nearest
(The end for others sought)
Watch sloth and heathen folly
Bring all your hope to nought.

Take up the White Man’s burden–
No iron rule of kings,
But toil of serf and sweeper–
The tale of common things.
The ports ye shall not enter,
The roads ye shall not tread,
Go, make them with your living
And mark them with your dead.

Take up the White Man’s burden,
And reap his old reward–
The blame of those ye better
The hate of those ye guard–
The cry of hosts ye humour
(Ah, slowly!) toward the light:–
“Why brought ye us from bondage,
Our loved Egyptian night?”

Take up the White Man’s burden–
Ye dare not stoop to less–
Nor call too loud on Freedom
To cloak your weariness.
By all ye will or whisper,
By all ye leave or do,
The silent sullen peoples
Shall weigh your God and you.

Take up the White Man’s burden!
Have done with childish days–
The lightly-proffered laurel,
The easy ungrudged praise:
Comes now, to search your manhood
Through all the thankless years,
Cold, edged with dear-bought wisdom,
The judgment of your peers.

Americans are pessimistic about the prospects of victory in Afghanistan; 59% say they are feeling less confident that the war will come to a successful conclusion. And 51% say they would oppose sending more troops to the conflict.

Sept. 22 Pew poll:

Currently, half of Americans (50%) say military troops should remain in Afghanistan until the situation has stabilized, while 43% favor removing U.S. and NATO troops as soon as possible. In June, 57% favored keeping U.S. and NATO troops in Afghanistan, while 38% favored their removal as soon as possible.

Sept. 15 CNN poll:

A CNN/Opinion Research Corp. survey released Tuesday morning indicates that 39 percent of Americans favor the war in Afghanistan, with 58 percent opposed to the mission.

As human beings how would they react? How should they react?

With anger? Anger mixed with large doses of daily dread? Fear mixed with anger mixed with resentment of being subjected to death by someone who does not even have the guts to present themselves in person?

WashingtonDC deserves the blowback it is getting in/from Afghanistan being WashingtonDC should reap the whirlwind it sowed,sows or has sown ( see who created Taliban back when Soviet Union was doing what Americans are doing now in Afghanistan).

Whatever WashingtonDC is up to over or in Pakistan surely will yield blowback too.

Gosh darn how come again? Why are Afghanis and Pakistanis fighting back and resisting and killing Americans who are in Afghanistan and Pakistan killing Afghanis and Pakistanis? Don’t they know that is not allowed? Americans can fly into and over countries and kill but people who live in those countries are not allowed to fight back. Now why is that? Why is this so?

It is not just the stupidity. It is the arrogance it comes wrapped in.

WashingtonDC should get out of Asia. Get out now.

President Obama? Do you think you could maybe do the stand up guy thing here? For a change?