"The “objective” situation in Afghanistan remains a mess. Senior commanders acknowledge that we are not now winning hearts and minds in Afghanistan; indeed, we never can, and certainly not at gunpoint. Most Pashtuns will never accept a U.S. plan for Afghanistan’s future. The non-Pashtuns — Tajiks, Uzbeks, Hazaras, etc. — naturally welcome any outside support in what is a virtual civil war. America has inadvertently ended up choosing sides in this war. U.S. forces are perceived by large numbers of Afghans as an occupying army inflicting large civilian casualties. The struggle has now metastasized into Pakistan — with even higher stakes." - Sean McBride from Bookmarklet

"By now, as in so many other elements of the Global War on Terror, the U.S. has become more part of the problem than part of the solution. We are sending troops to defend troops that themselves constitute an affront to Afghan nationalism. Only expeditious American withdrawal from Afghanistan will prevent exacerbation of the problem." - Sean McBride

When this point of view and line of analysis is already conspicuous in the mainstream media, and among Obama supporters, you know that Obama's Afghan policy is already in the deepest possible trouble. - Sean McBride

To paraphrase Deep Throat, follow the pipeline : ) - Cole Jolley

A the height of her empire England invaded ASTAN...TWICE read some Kipling to see how that worked out for them. Russia danced on the quicksand and succumbed but now we in our hubris we step into the fire. Why should we expect to do any better? We shall waste blood and treasure and in the end it will be no better than Kipling's soljers of the queen. Funny we can spend trillions in a great unending forever war and the defieict hawks nary a peep only wne its money for people is it a danger to our fragile economy - that is the greatest evil of many - WarLord

4 do China's heavy lifting as the middle kingdom exploits any raw materials - WarLord