And the reason Afghanistan is the 'Good War' Is ???

[floridablue]

What was that reason we need to stay there ?

[tekisui]

1. The current reason is to secure the rigged elections coming up.

The reason to stay will change after the 20th of August.

[Autumn]

2. Umm, it's the

"right thing to do" or so I've been told.

[el_bryanto]

3. Well the rationale for Afghanistan was a bit more plausible than Iraq

Al-Qaeda was clearly operating in Afghanistan, and the Taliban was allowing them to do so. If you believe that Al-Qaeda orchestrated 9/11 (which I do) that presents a fairly compelling reason to go in, attempt to get the leaders of Al-Qaeda, and deal with that threat. Of course we largely blew it, under the leadership of George W. Bush, but it is at least understandable.

Bryant

[Odin2005]

5. Oh, quit using facts!

After all, it's self-evident that there is no evidence linking the Taliban and AQ to 9/11 and it's all about a pipeline! I know because the Twoofers told me!!! :sarcasm:

[tekisui]

6. Are we still scared of the Taliban?

In the US? So much so that we are committing to an occupation that will last decades?

[el_bryanto]

7. I'm not sure it's a matter of being scared of them

Although certainly I'm not keen on them regaining power. I think it's more of a we broke it we bought it kind of situation.

Bryant

[tekisui]

9. We cannot fix it with our military.

We are further breaking it with each bomb and with each civilian killed. The escalation and expansion are not serving a positive end. The way to fix it is to get out.

[Blaze Diem]

35. Yes & thank you.

How would we have handled Iraq/Afghanistan if Bush never been selected?

Rethink our purpose in this world the current path we have taken.
No more money for war. Our country needs a national health plan, jobs, we need to be re-dignified at home & abroad.

[SammyWinstonJack]

8. BOO!

:hide: :scared: :evilgrin: This escalation and continued occupation of/in Afghanistan is my reason for regretting my vote for Obama. x( I didn't vote for dipshit * and didn't support either 'war' so I didn't feel like I had blood on my hands. Now I do. Thanks Mr. "Hope and Change" x(

[Johonny]

16. I think the answer is they are very scared of the region

Clearly that area is very destabilized. There is a real fear that parts of Pakistan will topple in power to a more extreme religious state as well. Which given Indian-Pakistan tensions and nuclear weapons is a very bad thing. It's unclear if Pakistan is totally committed to the project. Since Pakistan does not have a single political power structure. I'm not sold on Afghanistan as a good war or at least a well thought out war. It's not clear you can waste as much time as Bush did and then make something positive out of the situation. However I can see why NATO is worried about the region and why Obama is worried about doing something.

[Odin2005]

20. The Pakistan situation is a HUGE worry of mine.

And is why pulling out of Afghanistan right now is stupid

[bahrbearian]

25. They said the same thing about Viet Nam.

[Hugabear]

12. And how well did this invasion work out for us?

Let's see...the main guys that we went after are still there...I'd say it didn't really work out very well, did it? Just like most of us predicted! So how long do we stay there?

I don't suppose we could have handled it the way Clinton handled Libya back in the early 90s, when Qaddhafi was harboring a couple of terrorists, eh? You know, by using diplomatic and economic pressure? Eventually Qaddhafi did hand over the terrorists, they were placed on trial, and found guilty.

Which method is more effective?

[el_bryanto]

13. You are comparing the performance of George W. Bush

To not invading at all; I think we all agree that W. was pretty incompetent.

And in all honesty, Qaddhafi wasn't implicated in 9/11, which was a pretty sharp blow to the system.

Bryant

[Hugabear]

15. Neither were the Taliban

Both Qaddhafi and the Taliban had one thing in common - they were harboring accused terrorists. Neither one actually committed the act in question.

I know that * was the one who made the decision to invade Afghanistan. And there were many experts warning that we'd be there for many, many years - all one had to do was look at history for examples.

We don't need to be there anymore. We never needed to be there in the first place, but we can't go back in time and change things. But we can control what happens from now on.

[Captain Hilts]

14. Sept. 11th bad guys were found there. Their computers were found there and tons of weapons

were found there.

It is exactly the lawless kind of country in which terrorism thrives.

Unlike Iraq.

[Odin2005]

21. BINGO! You get a cookie!

"It is exactly the lawless kind of country in which terrorism thrives. Unlike Iraq."

[ConsAreLiars]

32. Well, the 15 Saudis and 4 other non-Afghans actually trained in the US.

And they acquired the tons of weapons here. No Afghan had ever harmed anyone in or from the US before the US invasion, other than by letting them drink tap water in Kabul. The Taliban offered to turn over the bin Laden gang to a third country and the mass murderers heading the US government at the time refused. Facts matter, at least to some of us.

[ControlledDemolition]

29. What about Cheney's secret "Energy Policy" meetings before 911? n/t

[closeupready]

4. Fattens defense contractors' bottom lines.

n/t

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

10. We need to "fight them there, so we don't have to fight them here".

If we allow them to go unchecked they'll take Pakistan, then India, then Thailand, then Cambodia, then Vietnam and use the Ho-chi-Mich trail to attack Des Moines.

[SammyWinstonJack]

11. +1

:evilgrin:

[floridablue]

27. YYYYYEEEEEEEEEIIIIIIIIIIII

Give me back my dominos!!!

[ControlledDemolition]

31. May I shatter your 'domino theory'?

Great post! The proof of just how bogus the theory was... North Vietnam 'won'! How many dominos fell after that? The point of the Vietnam War was... TOO KEEP IT GOING. War, afterall, is a racket.

[floridablue]

34. How sad to remember

I was one of their enablers. Well actually, I was willing to concede Iowa.

[Echo In Light]

17. Why? TV says so. Good a' nuff for Amurika!

[laststeamtrain]

18. Junior Chickenhawks seem to think it's a good war. They're never wrong.

:sarcasm:

[BuyingThyme]

19. Because Obama thinks he's fighting a secret war against Russia.

[bluesmail]

22. Well The War to end All Wars was already used. eom

[SammyWinstonJack]

37. .

:evilgrin:

[anonymous171]

23. Meh, I don't really know either. I say partition the shit out of it and leave.

Same with Iraq.

[Gregorian]

24. Because the Taliban is bad?

That one even had me going for a while.

Dropping bombs on people is never good. And the extent to which we let this evil continue will forever be on our conscience.

I fear that Obama has his hands tied. If you aren't sure what I mean, I am thinking of JFK.

[bahrbearian]

26. We are there because its where all the Empires go to Die.

[G_j]

28. it's been eight years.. nt

[leftstreet]

30. Because the Democrats are in power

When the Republicans get back in, war will be bad again.

[galileoreloaded]

33. It's not Iraq.......Pay attention.......n/t

[datasuspect]

36. 9/11 9/11 9/11 9/11 9/11 9/11 9/11 9/11 9/11 9/11 9/11

[SammyWinstonJack]

38. .

:spray: