Comments (18) Jump to Comments Form

1. 

   fennec said, 2 months ago

   ?? Where is this supposed to be? Certainly not Afghanistan or Pakistan. I guess he means Vietnam, but it’s a bit of a stretch unless he wants to compare the situation Nixon was in at the beginning of his presidency with that of Obama now.

2. 

   senorbullwinkle said, 2 months ago

   Yes, Fennec. a war we cant win. The enemy is mixed in with the population. No one has ever won there. Years go by, and more and more is lost. Men, good will, and even the will to win is lost. Besides Bin laden is not there, our reason for being there http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036677/#32650516

   http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036677/#32650668

3. 

   kreole said, 2 months ago

   He’s referring to the parallel between Afghanistan and Vietnam’s political conundrums. I have a feeling it’s why Bush hit the Afghan “pause” button and went into Iraq instead. He knew it was unwinnable, Afghanistan isn’t going to be a pretty picture for Obama or anybody else. In the medical world it would be diagnosed as cancerous.

4. 

   furnituremaker said, 2 months ago

   the main difference between Afganistan (sp) and ‘Nam is the fact that this time, the returning warriors are heroes instead of bums.

5. 

   cartwrights said, 2 months ago

   Anybody with military experience and/or a knowledge of history (I have both) knew that Afghanistan was unwinnable from the beginning. Same thing with Iraq.

6. 

   littlemass said, 2 months ago

   no foreign power has EVER prevailed in Afghanistan. no foregn power EVER prevailed in Southeast Asia. no foreign power EVER prevailed in Iraq [or its antecedants]. DUH!

7. 

   cartwrights said, 2 months ago

   Actually, littlemass, Islam prevailed in Afghanistan after invading in the 8th century, and other invaders from central Asia (Turks, Mongols) did as well. Same in Iraq. The Turks and Mongols went through those places like a tidal wave in the Middle Ages, and definitely prevailed.

8. 

   RobSmithJr2 said, 2 months ago

   Kreole is correct about focus shift by Bush Administration. As others have written here Afghanistan has proven itself unwinnable in modern times, our experience will be the same. However you slice it, Obama (Bush3) is continuing the trail left by Bush, but expanding the theater in ways that are impossible for the US to win. Though, a perfect way to rise our military deaths to new highs.

9. 

   GNWachs said, 2 months ago

   Afghanistan is now Obama’s war. Like it or not it was the liberal’s good war and they now have for themselves what they advocated for Bush.

   Those of you who say Obama knows something about the health care plan that the rest of America doesn’t understand should say the same thing here. Obama knows something about the war in Afghanistan that the rest of America doesn’t understand.

   I, for one, don’t understand either his health care plan or his actions in Afghanistan.

10. 

    d_legendary1 said, 2 months ago

    What Oliphant is trying to say is that Afghanistan is gonna be Obama’s vietnam. The last democratic president to go to an unwinnable war such was L.B.J. If he doesn’t pull out no matter what he does from here on out he will always be remembered for that mistake.

11. 

    dennis03 said, 2 months ago

    Any war is winnable if you want to fight your enemies the way they fight you.

    If you have no problem with going into a neighborhood and pulling two dozen people outside and putting a bullet into each head as an example of what happens when people don’t obey, you can win the war. If the only people who have a decent living standard are those on your side and all others are considered expendable, you can win the war because many people will want to be on your side.

    You just can’t win their hearts.

12. 

    GNWachs said, 2 months ago

    BigEar

    No I am opposed to his health plan because I truly believe it is not in the best interests of our country. I know what we have and see what alternatives other countries have and am not prepared to give up our best for what is available elsewhere. I know you find that hard to believe that someone would rationally unselfishly disagree with you but I sincerely believe you are simply wrong.

13. 

    omQ R said, 2 months ago

    õ.O @ dennis03
    troll

    Aghanistan is a lot drier type of quaqmire.

14. 

    pookiebabi said, 2 months ago

    :) i believe all your views are rite in sumwat way!!!

15. 

    GNWachs said, 2 months ago

    Paraphrasing Churchill. Capitalism is not the best system of economics it is just better than every other one. We know socialism fails every time. It has to fail. If you give people incentive not to work then being intelligent they just wont work. You cannot change human nature.

16. 

    GNWachs said, 2 months ago

    That is why I said paraphrasing

17. 

    cdward said, 2 months ago

    It makes a big difference whether you’re talking about democracy or capitalism. That’s not paraphrasing, that’s changing the meaning.

18. 

    foxglove16 said, 2 months ago

    Many are making the point made here, but I think Oliphant does it best.