Invaders...

While watching This Week yesterday, Rick Santorum was on the show and discussing Afghanistan. First of all, I must say that I think always interesting when people who know absolutely nothing about foreign affairs get into a discussion about them. I don’t think Rick Santorum is stupid, but I do think he is less than educated about foreign affairs; and therefore, to question the president who has as much information as anyone can, is ridiculous. Does that mean the president is always right? No, of course not. But to question the president’s understand, when he’s looking at all of the facts, and you’re not, is silly.


However, that’s not what I wanted to talk about.

Sorry, another tangent. I watched John McCain on Meet the Press, as well, and I have to say that John McCain has returned to the old John McCain that Democrats actually respected as a pragmatist. It’s too bad that his image is so tarnished with many Republicans and Democrats because of his presidential campaign. McCain made a hard right turn during his presidential run, with remnants of his views hanging around during the first year or so of the new Obama administration. And while I disagree with him on several issues, I’m starting to have respect for the man again as a politician that can rise above politics, and act in a rational and pragmatic way.

Alright, back to the lecture at hand.

During Santorum’s incomprehensible rant about Obama’s handling of the Afghanistan War, he made the comment that it was difficult because we were fighting against a “guerrilla insurgent force”. I think it’s ironic that someone trying to become a the leader of a nation that is an occupying force in another nation has the gall to call people that are fighting for their freedom and independence a “guerilla insurgent force”. I would say the United States is the insurgent force. And while the Taliban doesn’t seem to be a great alternative, and certainly the United States as a global power is trying to limit the influence and growth of international terrorism, Afghanistan is not our country. If Afghanistan doesn’t want us there, and they don’t want to move toward the type of government that we want them to be (puppet Democracy), then I say we let them go the way they want to go.
In the 10+ years we’ve been in Afghanistan, it doesn’t seem like we’ve made much progress. This is in no way to disparage “the troops”, because I would say the failure is due much more to planning, strategy, and politics, not due to the failure of our soldiers. It’s time to let history take over, and what happens in Afghanistan happens in Afghanistan. I know this may be harsh to say, because we went in and caused a problem, but the Afghans have been having problems for decades, and it doesn’t seem like anything we do – positive or negative – tends to have a lasting affect. People are going to get killed once we leave, but WE are responsible for the deaths of thousands of civilians anyway. We should focus on humanitarian efforts, and completely pull out militarily.