Afghanistan

Originally posted by moon1969
That is a good point. We are pissing off the locals and not earning a lot of goodwill points.

Well using drones to bomb weddings and villages isn't exactly a "goodwill builder" either.

I know, if you don't like it you can vote for Romney or a third party.

Originally posted by AThousandYoung
Does Afghanistan export oil?

Not as far as I know. But it's A) Reasonably close to nations that do; B) Was harboring AQ and other groups who are directly in opposition to Western-friendly plutocrats in Saudi Arabia; and C) Was a proposed site of a big pipeline from some of the oil producing regions of the ex-Soviet Union.

Simply smashing up AQ by aerial bombardment and Special OPs would have been a reasonable response to 9/11 but the Neocons had (and still have) bigger ideas.
They still seem to think they can actually impose a strong pro-Western central government in Kabul. That's about as likely to succeed as the Soviets installing a strong Communist one there in the 1980s.

Details on Afghan oil: http://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/Afghanistans-Developing-Oil-Industry-Causing-Envious-Glares-From-Neighbors.html


They seem to have modest reserves that they are hoping to develop so that they import less oil.

Originally posted by AThousandYoung
Does Afghanistan export oil?

Isn't opium their biggest export?

Originally posted by moon1969
Isn't opium their biggest export?

Competitors! The Poppy is the CA flower! 😠

Originally posted by AThousandYoung
Why is the USA still there?

Time to get out. We're done there.

lets leave tomorrow, all my friends are home and safe...

Originally posted by moon1969
I agree with everything you say. The President can delegate timing decisions to his generals based on an overall edict or policy, but the President as commander-in-chief is accountable. And my vote to withdraw immediately doesn't count much. I just think Afghanistan is a lost cause. Americans are dying. Money wasted. The US-backed Afghan government wi ...[text shortened]... e who disagree with the President on this decision, they can vote for flip-flop or third party.

totally agree with you,, kind of a rarity...

Originally posted by no1marauder
Why wait until 2014?

Why? To pass the buck. Why pull out and watch it all go to pot before the election? Instead, let the other poor soul deal with it. It is what he does with pretty much everything else which is to kick the can down the road.

Once the US pulls out the Taliban will take over and then come after the US once again, only with a vengence. Then everyone can smile and say it was "W"'s fault. 😛

Originally posted by whodey
Why? To pass the buck. Why pull out and watch it all go to pot before the election? Instead, let the other poor soul deal with it. It is what he does with pretty much everything else which is to kick the can down the road.

Once the US pulls out the Taliban will take over and then come after the US once again, only with a vengence. Then everyone can smile and say it was "W"'s fault. 😛

The Taliban never came after the US in the first place. This type of ignorant confusion is why the occupation happened.

Originally posted by no1marauder
The Taliban never came after the US in the first place. This type of ignorant confusion is why the occupation happened.

Really? It seems to me that they were allied with Bin Laden. How this alliance actually looked on paper I guess is a matter of discussion......or maybe Obama is lying about it?

LOL.

Originally posted by whodey
Really? It seems to me that they were allied with Bin Laden. How this alliance actually looked on paper I guess is a matter of discussion......or maybe Obama is lying about it?

LOL.

The US is allied with the United Kingdom. Does that mean we are occupying Northern Ireland?

Originally posted by no1marauder
The US is allied with the United Kingdom. Does that mean we are occupying Northern Ireland?

If the US were aiding Northern Ireland to overthrow the UK then it would be war.

Originally posted by whodey
If the US were aiding Northern Ireland to overthrow the UK then it would be war.

PROTECT THE WHITE HOUSE THE CANUCKS ARE GONNA BURN IT DOWN