Honest question about Afghanistan

[native]

Related question - what's the difference between the Taliban and the Pashtun? And how can we possibly "win" in Afghanistan if we're fighting a tribe that is spread across Afghanistan and Pakistan?

Who's the enemy here, if "terrorists" keep melting into the general population.

There are lots of Pashtun who are not Taliban.

[Cleets Part 2]

Related question - what's the difference between the Taliban and the Pashtun? And how can we possibly "win" in Afghanistan if we're fighting a tribe that is spread across Afghanistan and Pakistan?

Who's the enemy here, if "terrorists" keep melting into the general population.

Questions war hawks never ask...

1) Who's the enemy and how can you tell..?
2) Is there any way to win that war..?

Apparently it takes more military intelligence than we have at our disposal to even ask those questions...

[Cap'n Cat]

We gotta get the fvck outta there and Iraq and let whatever happens, happen. Let the rest of the fvcking world watch the decay and do something about it for a change.

Good God, I'm becoming a CONK!!!

[native]

Related question - what's the difference between the Taliban and the Pashtun? And how can we possibly "win" in Afghanistan if we're fighting a tribe that is spread across Afghanistan and Pakistan?

Who's the enemy here, if "terrorists" keep melting into the general population.

Questions war hawks never ask...

1) Who's the enemy and how can you tell..?
2) Is there any way to win that war..?

Apparently it takes more military intelligence than we have at our disposal to even ask those questions...

Who do you consider war hawks, Cleets?

Those two questions are the FIRST questions a military man asks.

See the Weinberger Doctrine.

[JoltinJoe]

One of the big rubs, daner, is the fact that many of the Taliban and al Qaeda hang out across the mountains in Pakistand and Pakistan will not allow us to fight on their territory.

Also, a drawn out carpet bombing, though pretty to American Conks fvcks, would be a PR disaster for us in the world court of opinion. Cheney and his VP, Bush, fvcked that all up and we have no geopolitical capital to throw against more death and destruction.

Spot on.

We lost in Vietnam because our enemies encamped among civilian populations. We cannot take at the Taliban and al Qaeda for the same reason.

We would have lost WWII if we had the same mentality back then. Not advocating carpet bombing civilian areas, but it is certainly a thought. Right now, our enemies know they are safe when they locate themselves among civilians.

[Cleets Part 2]

Questions war hawks never ask...

1) Who's the enemy and how can you tell..?
2) Is there any way to win that war..?

Apparently it takes more military intelligence than we have at our disposal to even ask those questions...

Who do you consider war hawks, Cleets?

Those two questions are the FIRST questions a military man asks.

See the Weinberger Doctrine.

BINGO..!!!
and then you go to war anyway - no matter what the answer is...

[houndawg]

Related question - what's the difference between the Taliban and the Pashtun? And how can we possibly "win" in Afghanistan if we're fighting a tribe that is spread across Afghanistan and Pakistan?

Who's the enemy here, if "terrorists" keep melting into the general population.

Questions war hawks never ask...

1) Who's the enemy and how can you tell..?
2) Is there any way to win that war..?

Apparently it takes more military intelligence than we have at our disposal to even ask those questions...

3) How long will the Chinese continue to loan us a billion dollars a week to remain the pivot man in this global circle jerk?

4) Where's Osama bin Laden?

[native]

Who do you consider war hawks, Cleets?

Those two questions are the FIRST questions a military man asks.

See the Weinberger Doctrine.

BINGO..!!!
and then you go to war anyway - no matter what the answer is...

We take a very solemn oath. We get to vote (except for when Al Gore intervenes), but after that you have to follow all legal orders. If you do not like the policy, the only other honorable choice is to resign, but even that option may not be available in the moment. ...and if you are worth half a shit at what you do, how do you let your friends go without you?!???

I do favor a less adventurist, less interventionist foreign policy, but not isolationism and not Obama's weak, appeasement, non-exceptionalist policy.

[native]

One of the big rubs, daner, is the fact that many of the Taliban and al Qaeda hang out across the mountains in Pakistand and Pakistan will not allow us to fight on their territory.

Also, a drawn out carpet bombing, though pretty to American Conks fvcks, would be a PR disaster for us in the world court of opinion. Cheney and his VP, Bush, fvcked that all up and we have no geopolitical capital to throw against more death and destruction.

Spot on.

We lost in Vietnam because our enemies encamped among civilian populations. We cannot take at the Taliban and al Qaeda for the same reason.

We would have lost WWII if we had the same mentality back then. Not advocating carpet bombing civilian areas, but it is certainly a thought. Right now, our enemies know they are safe when they locate themselves among civilians.

There are other options. We won a brutal counterinsurgency war in the Philippines without instigating a bloodbath at the turn of the previous century, as did the British in Malaya a half century or so later. Also, like it or not, the Phoenix program was successful in Vietnam, despite its flaws.

[native]

...

3) How long will the Chinese continue to loan us a billion dollars a week to remain the pivot man in this global circle jerk?

4) Where's Osama bin Laden?

3) Good question.

4) Irrelevant question.

[Cleets Part 2]

...

3) How long will the Chinese continue to loan us a billion dollars a week to remain the pivot man in this global circle jerk?

4) Where's Osama bin Laden?

3) Good question.

4) Irrelevant question.

Why is Bin Laden irrelevant..?
A war was started on his behalf - thousands of dead marines - hundreds of thousands of dead citizens...

now he's irrelevant... (weird)

[Cap'n Cat]

3) Good question.

4) Irrelevant question.

Why is Bin Laden irrelevant..?
A war was started on his behalf - thousands of dead marines - hundreds of thousands of dead citizens...

now he's irrelevant... (weird)

He's rationalizing his boy, Cheney's, ignoble surrender, Cleets. Let him be.