re: #102 Ericus58

The chapter on our involvement in Afghanistan is not finished.

I remember many voices also proclaiming our “Failure” and “We’ve lost”, “The surge is useless” in Iraq. And I’m not attributing these statements to anyone here in particular… but I will attribute them to many Democratic leaders.
As we transit out of Iraq and the Iraqis take more responsibility for their own security and destiny - time will tell if they succeed. That is up to them.

In regards to Afghanistan, we took on the mission to remove the Taliban from using that country as their power base. We have spent our national treasure as measured in our men and women who have given their lives or been wounded in this endeavor. The battle still goes on, with AQ and the Pakistan support.

Is it a failure that many of the population in Afghan have opportunities in life - especially the women and girls - that would not have existed if we had done nothing?
Afghanistan is a much harder situation for many reasons in comparison to Iraq; literacy rates, lower standard of living, lack of transportation, lack of a manufacturing base… this will require much more time and effort. And it should not just be American doing the heavy lifting only - the U.N. and the world in general should be assisting (not that some will, it’s not in their interest to do…snip

The chapter on our involvement in Iraq is not finished.