So, it’s better to stay and kill and maim MORE Americans in a “War” that we would have NO REAL CHANCE of “Winning”? A “War” we should have NEVER gotten into in the first place???
I think not… Remember how well that strategy worked out in Vietnam??
What we say and do are too far apart too often. Our ping-pong partisan policies — inconsistent between administrations — resulting from our inherently uncompromising, obstructive, opposing party political system with no common goals only adds to our image being seen as negative. For all our wealth, it is regrettable that other democracies have more affordable/accessible healthcare, education, and opportunities for advancement … but NOT surprising with a House [and Senate] divided against itself.
Danzinger served as an Army officer in Vietnam. This stuff does hurt some folk.
We tried to prepare the South Vietnamese to fight on their own, but they had no real leadership. They fought better than the Afghan Army, but were up against forces well supplied by China and Russia. We were only entrenched there for 10 years. We were 20 years in Afghanistan and were even less effective at nation-building. (And it wasn’t like there was no history of failure by outside powers.) Time to send ALL US politicians to re-education camps.
But hey, the fright wing militias should be ecstatic. Guys with rifles (and IEDs) eventually beat two modern Armies.
Of course, one only needs to look at the post-January 6,2021 behavior of American “militias” to see that they wouldn’t fare as well. Malcontent losers, pretty much all of them.
Try looking up "Narcissistic Disorder in the DSM V manual sometime. You’ll find Treasonweasel 45’s picture there.
(BTW, to be diagnosed with Narcissistic Disorder, one has to only fulfill 5 of the 9 criteria – Agolf Twitler nails all nine!) Here ya go, Sparky – ‘cause I know you’d never look it up:
Nine Signs and Symptoms of Narcissism
Grandiosity. Exaggerated sense of self-importance. …
Don’t blame Joe. The tRumpsters negotiated a withdrawal with the Taliban, leaving the Afghan government out in the cold. Biden only changed the date a bit. 20 years too late. Let’s not forget the idiot that lead us down into the quagmire.
This, because we go to war nowadays, not for ideals or even ideas, but for money, and in the end, that always runs out, or finally breaks the patience of those paying.
Wait, I thought the Trumpers wanted us out of Afghanistan? It’s so hard keeping up with those yoyo’s.
I, like many of the military that just pulled out of Afghanistan, have mixed feelings.
Our presence made a big difference while we were there. However, there were many there, besides the Taliban idiots, that didn’t want us there. We are doing the best we can to protect those that help the USA try to make Afghanistan grew into the 21st century.
There was always going to be a time that we would have to leave. No matter when we left, extremism was going to be a problem. Heck, we are struggling with right wing extremism right here in the USA.
It sucks, but we will find out if Afghanistan really wants to fight for a better country for themselves, or if they will cave in to the Taliban.
Excellent provocation and deflection. It would be more useful, however, if you had a citation or two to corroborate your source’s accuracy and validity in making that assertion.
“In a different kind of war, we had to recognize that we’re not facing a nation; we’re facing a group of people who have adopted an ideology of hatred and love to find places where they can hide. They’re like parasites. They kind of leech on to a host and hope the host weakens over time so they can eventually become the host. That’s why I said to the Taliban in Afghanistan: Get rid of al Qaeda; see, you’re harboring al Qaeda. Remember this is a place where they trained — al Qaeda trained thousands of people in Afghanistan. And the Taliban, I guess, just didn’t believe me. And as a result of the United States military, Taliban no longer is in existence. And the people of Afghanistan are now free.”
We have a phenomenal military. Point them at a target and tell them to take it, and they’ll take it very, very, very fast. We are the world’s worst nation-builders. Plus, you can’t build a country without willing participants, and we have picked countries where we have a precious few of those. That has been our problem since WW2. You fight for the government you want, or you get the government full of the worst. If they don’t want the Taliban, they’ll fight to the very last. If they don’t want to fight to the last, it’ll be because they’d rather be ruled by the Taliban. We can give them all the weapons and intel they need, but we can’t make them fight. We knew that in 2004. After that, it was just feeding the military-industrial complex.
This is a no-win situation. Whenever the U.S. leaves, the Taliban is waiting to take over. The other alternative is to just stay and stay and essentially try to manage the country at great loss of blood and money on both sides. It has been said that Afghanistan is the graveyard of empires.
It’s not like we haven’t done it before. The Montagnards in Vietnam as well as their anti communist counterparts in the lowlands could fill volumes with their stories of Americas loyalties to in country allies…
Our presence in Afghanistan was a mistake, almost from the start – we sent a small strike force into the country to eliminate Bin Laden but he’d been alerted and was no longer there – we stuck around because we thought we could dissuade the Taliban from harboring terrorists.
We did not accomplish any of our goals, there.
We finally caught and killed Bin Laden – in Pakistan. We also gave the people of Afghanistan (especially the women) an all too brief taste of freedom. We are 90% withdrawn from Afghanistan and the Taliban are 90% back in their old places, oppressing the same people they’ve always oppressed. Look upon Afghanistan as a large bucket of water that America has had its foot in for 20 years, and now we’re removing that foot, leaving Afghanistan essentially unchanged, with only a very large “body count” to show for it, mostly of indigenous people!
Masterskrain Premium Member almost 3 years ago
So, it’s better to stay and kill and maim MORE Americans in a “War” that we would have NO REAL CHANCE of “Winning”? A “War” we should have NEVER gotten into in the first place???
I think not… Remember how well that strategy worked out in Vietnam??
superposition almost 3 years ago
What we say and do are too far apart too often. Our ping-pong partisan policies — inconsistent between administrations — resulting from our inherently uncompromising, obstructive, opposing party political system with no common goals only adds to our image being seen as negative. For all our wealth, it is regrettable that other democracies have more affordable/accessible healthcare, education, and opportunities for advancement … but NOT surprising with a House [and Senate] divided against itself.
Same2Ubuddy almost 3 years ago
Dementia Joe needs to go.
Baslim the Beggar Premium Member almost 3 years ago
Danzinger served as an Army officer in Vietnam. This stuff does hurt some folk.
We tried to prepare the South Vietnamese to fight on their own, but they had no real leadership. They fought better than the Afghan Army, but were up against forces well supplied by China and Russia. We were only entrenched there for 10 years. We were 20 years in Afghanistan and were even less effective at nation-building. (And it wasn’t like there was no history of failure by outside powers.) Time to send ALL US politicians to re-education camps.
But hey, the fright wing militias should be ecstatic. Guys with rifles (and IEDs) eventually beat two modern Armies.
Of course, one only needs to look at the post-January 6,2021 behavior of American “militias” to see that they wouldn’t fare as well. Malcontent losers, pretty much all of them.
TimBenzidrene almost 3 years ago
@ScrewU2Buddy:
Try looking up "Narcissistic Disorder in the DSM V manual sometime. You’ll find Treasonweasel 45’s picture there.
(BTW, to be diagnosed with Narcissistic Disorder, one has to only fulfill 5 of the 9 criteria – Agolf Twitler nails all nine!) Here ya go, Sparky – ‘cause I know you’d never look it up:
Nine Signs and Symptoms of Narcissism
Grandiosity. Exaggerated sense of self-importance. …
Excessive need for admiration. …
Superficial and exploitative relationships. …
Lack of empathy. …
Identity disturbance. …
Difficulty with attachment and dependency. …
Chronic feelings of emptiness and boredom. …
Vulnerability to life transitions.
You’re welcome.
Radish the wordsmith almost 3 years ago
Vicious lying Republicans got us into that mess.
casonia2 almost 3 years ago
Same2Ubuddy: You just made me spew my coffee all over my screen. WHAT are you smoking?
Raging Moderate almost 3 years ago
Don’t blame Joe. The tRumpsters negotiated a withdrawal with the Taliban, leaving the Afghan government out in the cold. Biden only changed the date a bit. 20 years too late. Let’s not forget the idiot that lead us down into the quagmire.
wndflower1 almost 3 years ago
justice is coming!!!
walkingmancomics almost 3 years ago
This, because we go to war nowadays, not for ideals or even ideas, but for money, and in the end, that always runs out, or finally breaks the patience of those paying.
GiantShetlandPony almost 3 years ago
Wait, I thought the Trumpers wanted us out of Afghanistan? It’s so hard keeping up with those yoyo’s.
I, like many of the military that just pulled out of Afghanistan, have mixed feelings.
Our presence made a big difference while we were there. However, there were many there, besides the Taliban idiots, that didn’t want us there. We are doing the best we can to protect those that help the USA try to make Afghanistan grew into the 21st century.
There was always going to be a time that we would have to leave. No matter when we left, extremism was going to be a problem. Heck, we are struggling with right wing extremism right here in the USA.
It sucks, but we will find out if Afghanistan really wants to fight for a better country for themselves, or if they will cave in to the Taliban.
superposition almost 3 years ago
@Same2Ubuddy
Excellent provocation and deflection. It would be more useful, however, if you had a citation or two to corroborate your source’s accuracy and validity in making that assertion.
Radish the wordsmith almost 3 years ago
The USA loves to waste money on killing people.
nyg16 almost 3 years ago
yeah Same 2U fool lets get that ignorant dirty bag back that killed hundreds of thousands of innocent people because of his total incompetence
ferddo almost 3 years ago
Yep, the U.S. needs to stop getting suckered into trying to be the World Police.
StackableContainers almost 3 years ago
US reputation hit rock bottom starting in 2016…nowhere to go but up.
Patjade almost 3 years ago
The war ended in 2004, when Bush declared total victory. No idea why we stayed.
https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2002/09/20020920-4.html
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A54621-2004Sep27_5.html
“In a different kind of war, we had to recognize that we’re not facing a nation; we’re facing a group of people who have adopted an ideology of hatred and love to find places where they can hide. They’re like parasites. They kind of leech on to a host and hope the host weakens over time so they can eventually become the host. That’s why I said to the Taliban in Afghanistan: Get rid of al Qaeda; see, you’re harboring al Qaeda. Remember this is a place where they trained — al Qaeda trained thousands of people in Afghanistan. And the Taliban, I guess, just didn’t believe me. And as a result of the United States military, Taliban no longer is in existence. And the people of Afghanistan are now free.”
smartman almost 3 years ago
We have a phenomenal military. Point them at a target and tell them to take it, and they’ll take it very, very, very fast. We are the world’s worst nation-builders. Plus, you can’t build a country without willing participants, and we have picked countries where we have a precious few of those. That has been our problem since WW2. You fight for the government you want, or you get the government full of the worst. If they don’t want the Taliban, they’ll fight to the very last. If they don’t want to fight to the last, it’ll be because they’d rather be ruled by the Taliban. We can give them all the weapons and intel they need, but we can’t make them fight. We knew that in 2004. After that, it was just feeding the military-industrial complex.
Andylit Premium Member almost 3 years ago
Even Danziger finds a nut once in a while.
The only open question is whether or not we go back to clean up the mess once the Taliban really get ramped up.
chromosome Premium Member almost 3 years ago
This is a no-win situation. Whenever the U.S. leaves, the Taliban is waiting to take over. The other alternative is to just stay and stay and essentially try to manage the country at great loss of blood and money on both sides. It has been said that Afghanistan is the graveyard of empires.
mysterysciencefreezer almost 3 years ago
And yet, silence when Trump straight up hung the Kurds out to dry.
Concretionist almost 3 years ago
Not that Danziger is wrong, exactly, but our reputation was already trash.
everett_r0 almost 3 years ago
It’s not like we haven’t done it before. The Montagnards in Vietnam as well as their anti communist counterparts in the lowlands could fill volumes with their stories of Americas loyalties to in country allies…
babka Premium Member almost 3 years ago
also shattered lives.
359mxn almost 3 years ago
Every country deserves the right to self determination. Our meddling has made an ass out of them and us.
cromwelljones53 almost 3 years ago
Holy Hunter S Thompson….that’s a damn statement…whether you agree or not, Danziger is the Bloody best.
cromwelljones53 almost 3 years ago
I agree with my previous comment.
wellis1947 Premium Member almost 3 years ago
Our presence in Afghanistan was a mistake, almost from the start – we sent a small strike force into the country to eliminate Bin Laden but he’d been alerted and was no longer there – we stuck around because we thought we could dissuade the Taliban from harboring terrorists.
We did not accomplish any of our goals, there.
We finally caught and killed Bin Laden – in Pakistan. We also gave the people of Afghanistan (especially the women) an all too brief taste of freedom. We are 90% withdrawn from Afghanistan and the Taliban are 90% back in their old places, oppressing the same people they’ve always oppressed. Look upon Afghanistan as a large bucket of water that America has had its foot in for 20 years, and now we’re removing that foot, leaving Afghanistan essentially unchanged, with only a very large “body count” to show for it, mostly of indigenous people!