Treason? Heresy?

[BLUEHAWK]

The troops deserve and will receive support and everything else they need, we won't make THAT mistake twice, either.

[reconeil]

...and especially about that: "I wonder" part regarding causing stringent regulations on Americans, and such as Americans have never been subjected to before. Such is what gives cowardly terrorists the edge,...The UNKNOWN and their proven to be merciless TARGETERS & MURDERERS of non-combattant and defenseless men, women and children (as many as is possible).

To "Them", Collateral Damage is considered killing or wounding a few Soldiers while killing MANY innocent and defenseless men, women and children. Absolutely SICK,...even for SICKOS.

Thusly, and they being the realities, I think it's TRULY SICK that: "Our Finest" are absurdly handcuffed by any; "Rules of Engagement" when searching for and attempting to destroy such pathological murderers. SICKER STILL, is that some politicos here actually believe and espouse that MY/OUR Constitution gives MY/OUR protections in The U.S. Judicial System to these very same bums. God,...WHAT ANTI-MILITARY (plus anti-common sense) FOOLS!!!

Neil

[Seascamp]

First off Blue, there is nothing the Soviet Union touched that ever made anything better, only varying degrees of worse. So the usual Soviet ham-fisted routine in Afghanistan was doomed from the get-go. A secular central government in Afghanistan has no chance at all and I suppose the Communists burned all their history books after the Bolshevik revolution or they would have known they were screwed from the opening shot. All they really accomplished is to make the warlords all that much stronger, the people more suspicious and was midwife at the breach birth of the Madrassah/Taliban/Radical Islamic fundamentalism movement. I guess we should say ?thanks Ivan, don?t do us any more favors?.

In the times ahead I think it is important for Afghanistan to have some form of representative government that can maintain the security of the population centers and associated economy. At the same time this central government should have some kind of positive relationship with the rural warlords and various tribal factions, hopefully. As to the continuing role of the US/UN, etc., I see no end in sight. Their role is to help maintain the security of the population centers and hammer on any Talib or warlord that gets too aggressive. Along the way, if they can be of influence in educational, medical, social, legal or infrastructure issues, the more the better. But I believe it is absolutely vital that we go at their pace, not ours or we will start to look like a Ivan and Olga one more time and go full circle.

As to Syria, Saudi Arabia, etc., we?ll see how things go in Iraq. My deep concern with the Iraq war is that we would jump into an abyss and come face to face with a new Hydra more vicious that the one we burn down. My worst fears haven?t materialized as yet, but a new/old Hydra popped up again. The fate of Iraq is now a chunk of raw meat that the US partisan politicos and media are fighting over like a bunch of hungry dingo?s and if I were an Iraqi, I?d fear that more than the ghost of Saddam?s boys or the border jumping thugs. What we need to do and can do are nothing compared to some perceived political leg up that some US politico may get by derailing some effort and letting some population hang out to twist slowly in the wind.

Scamp

[BLUEHAWK]

Scamp -
I came to a similar conclusion about the USSR in Afganistan, but by a far simpler route, so am very glad to learn your more detailed knowledge of it.
Especially interesting is your view of what might and will not work in future Ahganistan, as of the moment.
I'm watching for that Hydra myself, very closely.
Thanks...