The escalation makes me alternate between pissed and accepting of Obama's policy

[Cant trust em]

I'll read one thing and it feels like 2003 all over again.

Then I'll read something else and think that the new strategy makes sense.

I'm really conflicted.

[RKP5637]

1. Same here, I know exactly what you mean. n/t

[Ron Green]

2. I know what you mean. The thing that bothers me the most is that he's got to pander

to the flag-waving center and center-right, or he'll be destroyed in the M$M. I really want to believe he sees the whole picture, understands how much the US has to change if there's any hope for humankind, and is playing a long-term strategy.

[ZombieHorde]

3. This is called being open minded and trying to take in many ideas. nt

[Orrex]

4. I disagree with you. But then I agree.

So, yeah, I understand your conflict! :)

I have to say that I'm utterly sick of the "graveyard of empires" bullshit I've heard around here lately, but at the same time it's hard not to see it as a quagmire.

And then I realize that I can't justify simply leaving the country after we've worked so hard to beat the shit out of it.

[backscatter712]

5. Same here.

The thing to keep in mind is that Obama was given a complete shit sandwich, and that no option, including pulling all our troops out, is going to give a good result. If we pull out, the Taliban takes over in Afghanistan, maybe takes over Pakistan & gets their nukes, a huge shitstorm erupts, lots of good people get murdered, mauled & tormented by the Taliban for daring to do such things as teaching girls how to read, India freaks out over the nukes and we start seeing broader confrontations, then Iran freaks out and we get all sorts of chaos, and life sucks for almost everyone. If we stay in and fight, we may be only delaying the inevitable for however long we're willing to play whack-a-mole with the Taliban.

Sometimes, I'm ready to say "Fuck it!" and be in favor of bringing the troops home. Sometimes, I'm saying "Curbstomp the Taliban!" Sometimes, I'm saying "Cut a deal with the Taliban!"

There's no way to win - no matter what we do, people get fucked. Thanks George W. Bush!

I will give President Obama credit - he did think it through, he's taking this mess very seriously, he's not treating it like a game of toy soldiers like Bush did.

[Pirate Smile]

6. It is easy to criticize all options because they all have risks.

The best thing about the middle course on Afghanistan set out by President Obama at West Point was that he didn’t choose the other options. He correctly rejected the notion of standing pat as losing slowly and divisively. He rightly said no to bugging out as a diplomatic and political disaster. And he courageously squashed going for an all-out win as open-ended, likely to end in costly failure anyway, and well beyond any reasonable definition of American interests. His middle way is fraught with its own uncertainties and with terrible internal contradictions. It’s a doubling down on a bad bet in the hope that the boost from the U.S. troop increase plus the shock of impending responsibility will spur friendly Afghans to fight as hard for their freedom as the Taliban does for its lunatic ideas.

Obama’s middle course at least offers some promise of success—and perhaps more importantly, gives Afghans a more than decent chance to get their act together.

But Mr. Obama has made the decision. It would be easy to score points at his expense. But the decision is made—and it won’t be undone. Enough Republicans and Democrats will support it in Congress. So, the job of political leaders and policy experts now is to figure out how to help the president make his middle course more workable and reduce the risks of failure.

http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2009-12-02/the-lesser-evil/?cid=hp:mainpromo5

[Drunken Irishman]

7. I'm willing to let it play out. That's all we can do.

Either Pres. Obama is going to make us all look like fools, or he's going to be the one who's a fool. I pray it's the former. I pray he knows what he is doing. I have confidence he does - but right now, all we can do is wait.

So that's what I'll do. Unlike Bush, I do trust Pres. Obama has the nation's best interests at heart...even if most here do not.

[d_r]

8. I'm with you

[RKP5637]

16. Yep, time will tell. I am hopeful he has the right solution. Like you, I do

trust Obama. Bush I had absolutely no use for and never trusted anything he said. Obama has a horrible mess to deal with on all fronts because of eight years of Bush. When I get frustrated friends often say to me imagine the alternative of McCain/Palin in office now.

[dhpgetsit]

9. Whatever we think of it, it is what he decided.

I wish him success.

But I can't help but think that the Generals and the War Profiteers "got to him" and theirs is the real power driving U.S. poilicy. To me it looks as if we will be there providing security while the TAPI Pipeline is built from Enron's (OK not Enron eny more, they went bankrupt) gas fields in Turkmenistan, through Afghanistan, Pakistan, and to GE's huge power plant in India. This is corporate welfare that will cost US dearly in blood and treasure.

I'm just sick.

[joecool65]

10. How is this like 2003?

Al Qaeda attacked the United States. The Taliban shelted them in Afghanistan. The Taliban are the main cause of violence in Afghanistan.

Do you remember what the Taliban did to the nation of Afghanistan from 1996-2001? What makes you think they will not go back to executing women who are forced to wear burquas in the back of the head with an AK-47?

How is this anything like 2003?

[Cant trust em]

12. I'm getting a lot of the same feelings I had right before we invaded Iraq. nt

[NNN0LHI]

13. Are women not forced to wear burqas in Afghanistan any more?

[tandot]

11. I am torn, too.

I am glad I didn't have to make that decision :(

[unkachuck]

14. no need to be conflicted....

....when we do bushco neocon war, it's different.

[BeFree]

15. Conflicted? Nah, shouldn't be

Since nothing we as individuals say or do will alter the course in any way, the only thing we can do is decide whether we support war, or peace.

I am at peace with choosing peace. And I'd bet that my choice, would make most Afghanis into friends.