The Taliban are like the North Vietnamese.

Are we ideologically opposed to what they support? Yes.

Can we beat them militarily at an acceptable cost? No.

They're just like every brutal regime in every backwoods, third-world country around the world--we should oppose them, but not spend half a trillion dollars fighting a pointless war against them, like we're doing in Iraq.

It's more important to go after groups that are actually threatening America--that is, Al Qaeda

Yes because Bush did so much in the last 9 years. Oh wait, my bad, Bush dropped afghanastan like a hot potato so he could go to war to solve his daddy issue.

Including Taliban may not be the route we exactly desire; however, realistically we will never suppress the Taliban; it's like Viet Nam all over again! We need to go forward and deal with other issues more pressing. We have George W. to thank for this dilemma anyway.

Julie - You are so quick to jump on George; you forget that slick Willy had a chance at Al Quaida before George did but he was to busy playing with cigars. maybe his wife will be less distracted.

Carl W, We could have won Vietnam and that would have been the right thing to do. To bad there are so many wimps living in this country.

I'm sure the women of Afghanistan wouldn't be real happy to have the Taliban ruling their lives. Assuming all non-Taliban men would oppose them too that looks like an overwhelming majority of Afghans would not be in favor of Obama's idea to have the Taliban part of the political future of the country. I still don't understand why Obama doesn't just TALK to them all and have the play well together. Isn't that what he said he'd do? I'm so confused now about what he said versus what he's doing.

Julie,

You have stumbled into the truth. It didnt hurt having Cheney to egg George on from his first day in office.

Should the Taliban be part of Afghanistan's political future? Sure! Why not? Dress 'em up in suits like their murdering counterparts Hezbollah and Hamas. It'll give that fawning parasite to the terrorist's Jimmy Carter someone else's ring to kiss. He'll be meeting with them next. That buffoon needs to be silenced. That a question like this is even posed shows the massive level of stupidity in the world today.

CarlW is right. The Taliban was, is and forever will be in Afganistan. The Russians went out in a bitter 10 year war and we are hot on their heels if we don't recognize that our threat is al-Quida. It is totally fruitless without all-out war and conquering the nation and that is not our goal nor does it make sense. Our President is getting down to the core of the matter in defining who our enemy is over there and focusing on destroying Al-Quida. This will also save American and Afgan lives plus put some of those billions we have been spending over there under Bush/Cheney for the past 9 years back into our economy.

After 8 years of the Bush failure on the war on terror we are still in Afghanistan a worthless country I say drop dirty nukes so nothing will grow there in 100 years and let the survivors live in caves they are sub human animals anyway

Afganistan is made up of TRIBES. They do not want a strong central Government.

Obama is correct to include the Taliban in Afganistans future because it has been a part of their society for 2500 years. The various tribes have been fighting for a very long time and WE, THE BRITISH, NOR THE RUSSIANS are going to change that fact.

We should pursue the Al-quida but they are not limited to Afganistan. We need a draw down of American forces in Afganistan because we can not Americanize the Afganistan people.

I am an American Veteran (Korea) and have several family members who have rotated thru Afganistan. One a Marine is now in Southern Afganistan. He thinks he is doing the correct thing but does not understand that we can not defeat the Taliban and can not socialize the country.

You're a friggin' retard.

punch drunk joker. Unfit for office.

Obama will soon be in court. Santa Ana, California. Judge Carter. He will have to prove his credibility.
> Subject: Trial Obama dates.
> To:
> Date: Thursday, October 8, 2009, 3:42 PM
> On September 8, 2009, the Court
> previously set tentative case management dates.
>
> The Court now orders those dates be made final.
>
> Case Management dates are as follows:
>
> Motion for Summary Judgment Hearing December 7, 2009, at
> 8:30 a.m.
>
> File Motion for Summary Judgment November 16, 2009
>
> Opposition to Motion for Summary Judgment November 26,
> 2009
>
> Reply to Motion for Summary Judgment November 30, 2009
>
> Final Pretrial Conference January 11, 2010, at 8:30 a.m.
>
> Jury Trial January 26, 2010, at 8:30 a.m.

and, you are f---ing idiot

Ooh, sounds like someone needs a nap.

Lets clear up a misconception that is being discussed here. The US Military soundly defeated the VC and North Vietnamese army on the battle field. In spite of Walter Cronkites mis-statement during Tet. The Tet offensive was a disaster for the North. It was the end of the VC as it was known at that time. Tet was a complete military failure for the North.

The Soldiers, Marines, Airman and Sailors who served in Vietnam, fought with distinction and defeated the enemy at every battle. Militarily we won, politically we lost due to the gutless wonders in the White house and Congress! The same reason we will lose in Iraq and Afghanistan!

If indeed the Taliban is like the VC, then there is no choice in the matter, they will have to be included.

What the Taliban do have in common with the VC is that they were already fighting before we got there and are extremely well entrenched. We are fighting in their backyards so they have they ultimate advantage.

Just like Vietnam, we can not totally beat them. The best will be a stalemate. The only way to have won Vietnam, and to win in Afghanistan, is to level the entire Country. Since that involves genocide, it is not going to happen.

And like Vietnam, our interest there have little to do with the people. We can easily pull out of Afghanistan if it wasn't for the greed of oil. The US has not, nor ever will be, dependent on foreign oil. The US exports more Domestic oil then it imports foreign oil. We are "dependent" on it only for the profit of the stock holders, nothing more. The US buys foreign oil in order to replace what we need that was sold to other Countries who economically can not afford to buy OPEC oil. We sell poorer Countries our oil at a price far below what the rest of the world pays. It all boils down to politics and greed.

Funamentalist Christians are a world apart from the killing, maiming, and torturing Taliban. The Taliban are playmates of Al Qaeda, get a grip!

Lazy, yeah, the chriistians are better at doing it covertly.

Harp,

First of all, attaturk wasn't comparing Fundamentalist Christians to killers/torturers etc., and secondly, the Taliban are a local group which are ingrained in Afghan society vs. Al-Qaeda foreigners who have a Global agenda. You get a grip and read something through and UNDERSTAND it before you flap your lips...

I do not believe the mainstream Afghan wants the Taliban. Even they think the Taliban are too brutal and hard line. The only thing they like about them is that they bring stability and little corruption. Now the trick is for us to get behind a true honest leader for Afghanistan. Knock the Taliban and the terrorists out and let the people have a decent country with their beliefs and culture. We cannot just abandon the people.

There are two types of people in Afghanistan, the wolves and the sheep. What the sheep do or don't want isn't the real question, it's do all of us USA eagles want to defend the sheep by attacking the wolves forever? We've learned that it's not practical or possible to 'train' the mainstream Afghans to protect themselves, it's just not in them. So, is that our role in nature, to be the worlds' shepard?

Who cares about the Afghan people or there worthless country the only thing they grow is opium and after 8 years of the Bush failure on the war on terror we are still in Afghanistan a worthless country I say drop dirty nukes so nothing will grow there in 100 years and let the survivors live in caves they are sub human animals anyway

Do the world a favor and kill yourself, you inbred donkey f#$%er.

>Afghans to protect themselves, it's just not in them. So, is that our role in nature, to be the worlds' shepard?<

I could think of worse callings. . . .

Sources I've seen say the people there DO NOT want the Taliban there.

Hey Leigh,

I know what the Taliban represent in Afghanistan and how they came to be. It's our perception of what should and shouldn't be that is our problem. Have you ever heard the saying, "Here's the new boss same as the old boss"?? If the Afghans wanted rid of them that desperately they would do something but they won't because that is what they are used to!! So why don't you enlighten us with an original idea of your own. Just turn off the FOX channel - you can do it.

Leigh, if I am understanding what you mean by better-informed, then you need to research more. Most of the "information" used to be "better-informed" is no better than any other propaganda: "facts" are tailored to fit the wanted conclusion and only the parts of the real FACTS that fit into that preconception are used. Any FACT, or any part thereof, that counters or disproves the "better-informed" conclusion is discarded.

Remember: "White is right because they are spelled alike", from a young man that belonged to the 5%ers. He was mistaking "write" for "right", because he was discarding FACTS to fit the "better-informed" conclusions.

What henhouse?

What is Afghanistan to us? It's a third-world wasteland where we shouldn't be spending hundreds of billions of dollars and thousands of American lives playing whack-a-mole against insurgents.

If there are Al Qaeda camps training terrorists, blow them up.

But we can't waste precious lives and our entire economy fighting every Tom Dick & Harry dictatorship we don't like.

Yes it is George, but the question is who made the USA the farmer owning that particular henhouse? If the chickens can't protect themselves, let nature do what nature does.

Afghanistan is a chaotic wilderness without a government. The warlords and druglords have more power than anyone. It is them we should be negotiating with or drawing a line in the sand. If you protect or harbor terrorists you will meet their fate. Bring out the carpet bombs. Make LBJ proud.

I feel sorry for the civilians that have to try to live there.

Afghanistan is a chaotic wilderness without a government. The warlords and druglords have more power than anyone.

Reads like our on borders. Where our troops should be first.

>who made the USA the farmer owning that particular hen-house? If the chickens can't protect themselves, let nature do what nature does.<

It wouldn't be anything but a moral conundrum for us if the "foxes" stayed at the farm. They didn't, they helped some vultures fly over and kill 3,000+ of us. They should have left the vultures alone and they would still be there (to beat their wives and kill them for showing a little ankle.)

It wasn't the vultures, Omnipotus. It was the chickens...coming home to roost.

Why must we defend every man women and child in the world that look to us for help? Do you really think that's possible? Can you feel the love coming from the Iraqii citizens when we did it for them?

I agree with you mike it shows that the Taliban are sub human animals and after 8 years of the Bush failure on the war on terror we are still in Afghanistan a worthless country I say drop dirty nukes so nothing will grow there in 100 years and let the survivors live in caves they are filthy animals anyway

Look the mid-east men are all brothers. They may dislike each other, but AMericans are infidels. They fight like brothers. Always have and always will.

'Before I was nine I had learned the basic canon of Arab life. It was me against my brother; me and my brother against our father; my family against my cousins and the clan; the clan against the tribe; and the tribe against the world and all of us against the infidel. – Leon Uris, 'The Haj'

>'Before I was nine I had learned the basic canon of Arab life. It was me against my brother; me and my brother against our father; my family against my cousins and the clan; the clan against the tribe; and the tribe against the world and all of us against the infidel. – Leon Uris, 'The Haj'<

Good reason to show them a little "sunshine" from our "infidel" cannons. . . .

Why must they be against anyone???? I fail to see how that furthers any society. Sounds damn backwards to me!!

Mike, it's not America's business to be the guardian of Buddhist statues, or any other archaeological treasures, in foreign countries. In Iraq, American troops have destroyed archaeological treasures! It's not America's business to dictate what kind of treatment women have in other countries. It's just as bad for women and children in Saudi Arabia, Syria, Egypt, and many African countries. So are we going to attack them all? This issue cannot be solved with military force.

The Taliban are allied with Al-Qaida and they protected the murderer Ben-Laden so they must be exterminated like cockroaches they are sub human animals anyway and After 8 years of the Bush failure on the war on terror we are still in Afghanistan a worthless country I say drop dirty nukes so nothing will grow there in 1000 years and let the survivors live in caves they are animals anyway

LyndaAZ you are right America is not the guardian of Buddhist statues, or any other archaeological treasures, but the Taliban’s action in destruction of the Buddhist statues just goes to demonstrate what a bunch of ignorant, barbarians these filthy, animals are and their total intolerance for any one that doesn’t tow the line in their filthy, dirty religion demonstrates why this cancer must be destroyed once and for all. They are a menace to the entire world.

>They are a menace to the entire world.<

That is exactly correct, Witchking. Friend request forthcoming.

You two should befriend each other and join the others that are heading to the hills waiting for Armegeddon.

What henhouse?

What is Afghanistan to us? It's a third-world wasteland where we shouldn't be spending hundreds of billions of dollars and thousands of American lives playing whack-a-mole against insurgents.

If there are Al Qaeda camps training terrorists, blow them up.

But we can't waste precious lives and our entire economy fighting every Tom Dick & Harry dictatorship we don't like.

It's not our henhouse. In fact there are thousands even millions of henhouses all over the world suffering the same way. They're not our henhouses!

Should the Taliban be part of Afghanistan's political future?

Absolutely.

Good call. The long and short of it is that even the Taliban are getting sick of Al-Qaeda, and we just plain can't afford to play World Police anymore.

A wise man once suggested that as many as 80% of all statistics are completely made up... Where did you pull yours out of?

yeah especially since their last census taken, which they admit is completely inaccurate was in 1976. And since 40% of Afghanistan is supposed to be of the Pashtun tribe and they are the Taliban, 8% seems a might low. But when you're throwing a dart at a target with a blindfold on, who cares?

Give them guns.

First of all it's not your deciision to decide or our government's right to tell another country what rights they have. They are not America. They are welcome to come here however. But to put up stupid @!$%# like we're going to police the world in womens and human rights is just plain stupid. We don't have the resources, they probably don't want it, and they are most probably happy with their embedded cultures like we are. Now, for the Al-Quida, different story.

The question really is: are the local enemies of the Taliban any more ethical or educated than they are? Answer, no. So does it really matter?

Much of uneducated Afghanistan is still in the 15th Century BCE.

If we don't bring the country into the 21st Century then your grandchildren will be fighting there. That is why my son is there now trying to help the civilized people there.

I repeat, it's not America's business to bring any country into the 21st century. What about all those African countries? Or Burma? Or Indonesia? Or all the other "istans"? Are we going to start fighting there too? I'm sure many hawks during the VietNam war said the same thing, "your grandchildren will be fighting there". But instead, their grandchildren are VISITING North Vietnam, staying at a luxury hotel and touring the caves where the NVA hid during the war!

LyndaAZ,

You're making too much sense.

To all those who think our military should be doing anything in Afghanistan except hunting down Al Qaeda--WHY? What is the point in making Afghanistan another Iraq--where we spend thousands of lives and hundreds of billions of dollars hunting down local thugs and gangs who pose no direct threat to the USA?

Should we spend thousands of American lives and billions of dollars of our economy hunting down every local gang and thug band around the world?

There are problems you just can't solve militarily. When will the USA learn?

Hunt down Al Qaeda, but leave Afghanistan to the Afghans, Taliban or otherwise.

Anjan,
You are too pessimistic.

If we can get rid of the KKK here in the US, we can help Afghanistan get rid of the Taliban.

Jym,

I think you're too optimistic.

Afghanistan does not have the democratic values or the respect for the rule of law that the USA has, much less a culture with a history of valuing and even fighting for civil rights.

And those are things that cannot be solved by the USA military.

Jym. When did we get rid of the KKK?

We never got rid of the KKK.

Well than that's easy. If 92% of the population rises up and defeats the 8% of the population that they hate, then we have a no brainer. Why exactly do you think that 92% of Afghans can't defeat 8% of those they call the Taliban?

Heck, I'm looking across a wide field of about 100 sheep and there are 8 wolves in the woods beyond. Why can't the sheep defeat the wolves? Because they don't want to! Obviously sheep can't fight and wolves can. But in this metaphor we're talking about humans against humans. Exactly why can't the 92 not defeat the 8?

Maybe the sheep just told the interviewers what they wanted to hear!

Remember the old rule: There are lies, damn lies, statistics, then there's Islam. Lie to the infidel and be in good grace with Allah.

You're right, Cloverine.

This is a bad question/selection of pre-written responses. "Should the Taliban be part of Afghanistan's political future?" is a much different question than "Should America decide Afghanistan's future?" Most people seem to be mixing the two together.

There's a thousand names for terrorists all over the world, mullah, theocrat, dictator, pirate, etc., etc., what's your point? Nothing special about Afghanistan, so why are we dying there?