Afghanistan: Get Out Now

Why are entire countries hung up on egocentric things like “prestige”, “image” and “appearance”? The United States is blinded by this hubris—and has been at least since the Viet Nam war.

For these qualities of appearance, we are spilling the blood of young men and women every single day and are squandering our national treasury at a time when it is least affordable.

Why?

To give you an idea of the intensity of what our sons and daughters are facing in a foreign land, check out the videos below:



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJPPrngLCvg



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2pc1CcWUtuo&feature=related

I have yet to hear a coherent articulation of why we are there and what we are trying to achieve. At the risk of oversimplifying the complex issues that swirl around that entire region, the questions are stark—and the answers, I believe--- are obvious:

QUESTION: Are we there to conquer or occupy the country indefinitely?
ANSWER: No, it’s not our mission and it has no upside for either the U.S. or
Afghanistan. Has any country ever successfully done so? No. Never.

QUESTION: Will our presence in Afghanistan deter terrorism threats to the U.S. or
eliminate the Taliban?
ANSWER: No. We may suppress their activities while we are there, but both Al
Qaeda and the Taliban will re-establish themselves the instant we leave.
Some believe they will be stronger, emboldened by our exit.

QUESTION: What will we have to show for all our years there, for all the lives lost and
the billions of dollars spent?
ANSWER: Nothing? You tell me. What have we gained?


QUESTION: Has our war in Afghanistan raised our “stature” in the world community or
even in the Middle East?
ANSWER: No. The Middle East hates America more than ever. Remember it was
this hatred (and our using Saudi Arabia as a staging ground for Desert
Storm I—which was a justified war, in my view) that fueled the 9/11
terrorist attack. Osama Bin Laden confirmed this to be the reason he was
motivated to attack.

QUESTION: So, what made Desert Storm I a justifiable war?
ANSWER: Two things: it had a definable objective—ousting Iraq from it’s unjust
occupation of Kuwait, and it was an executed by a coalition of countries,
not a mostly unilateral action by the world’s remaining superpower.

QUESTION: Are we transitioning to a better system of government?
ANSWER: No, the government and President we are supporting is corrupt and we
know it.


So, did our soldiers die or get wounded in vain?
No, they are all heroes, doing their duty, obeying their commanders and serving their country.

We just need a smarter approach to dealing with our problems. If terrorism at home is the issue, then make the investment HERE—and overseas, use covert means to uncover and destroy terrorist targets without ground troops (as we are doing along the Pakistani border).

The war in Iraq was based on a lie (WMD)—and the war in Afghanistan is unwinnable if winning is defined as "ending terrorism". We are instead feeding the hatred that breeds a new generation of terrorists who hate America.

Forget about “prestige”, “appearances” and “image”.
Declare “victory” and leave.

Now.


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