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Subscribe to RSSU.S. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel responds to Afghan President Hamid Karzai's statements in which Karzai accused the U.S. and Taliban with working together.
KABUL — In his opening statement released at the start of his first Afghanistan visit since being named defense secretary, Chuck Hagel reminded everyone, "We are still in a war." By the time his official visit ended, after a planned joint press conference with Afghan President Hamid Karzai was cancelled over "security concerns," it was clear that war’s second front, the war of words, was as volatile as ever.
The press conference cancellation was announced hours after Karzai had gone on national television with another blast of criticism over the U.S. role here. He said the U.S. and the Taliban were "negotiating daily," and working in concert to ensure that coalition combat forces would remain in Afghanistan beyond the scheduled pullout in 2014. Karzai added that two deadly suicide attacks Saturday — one explosion in Kabul that Hagel actually heard from his safe location more than a mile away — were intended by the Taliban to show that U.S. and coalition forces would not be able to withdraw as planned.
"Categorically false," said the commander of coalition forces, U.S. General Joseph Dunford. A Taliban spokesman also rejected all of Karzai’s assertions unequivocally.
By Sunday night, Dunford was compelled to say the U.S. "does not have a broken relationship (with Karzai)," or a lack of trust. And Hagel told reporters that as a former politician himself he "can understand the kind of pressures national leaders are always under," and that the two countries will be able to move forward together.
Still, the dust-up over the busted joint press conference was evidence of the stubborn distance yet to be covered — and that seems in some ways to be widening — between an emerging new Afghanistan and the U.S., its chief protector and stakeholder.
Spokesman Jay Carney reacts to comments made by Afghan President Hamid Karzai in which he accused the U.S. and Taliban with working together.
One illustration of that distance — the cancellation on Saturday, even as Hagel began his round of briefings, of the planned handover to Afghan control of the Parwan prison at Bagram Air Base. To the Karzai government the ceremony would be welcome evidence of his administration’s authority and autonomy. But the ceremony was spiked and delayed at least temporarily when it was learned the U.S. would insist that detainees it considered high risk or high value would not be included in the prisoner releases Karzai has said are essential if reconciliation with the Taliban is to go forward.
The Pentagon has canceled a scheduled joint press conference with Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai citing security concerns. NBC's Mike Taibbi reports.
Another example of the stubborn distance between the Karzai government and its primary benefactor — Karzai’s order that U.S. and coalition special forces withdraw from the Kabul suburb of Wardak because of unconfirmed allegations of attacks and abusive tactics employed against civilians. Karzai had announced a two-week deadline for compliance with his order; it’s now two weeks later, with no evidence those special forces have retreated as ordered.
And Karzai’s new allegation Sunday that the U.S. and the Taliban are "negotiating daily" — in Doha, Qatar, where the Taliban have set up an office, and elsewhere — was denied by both parties but was a signal too that the Afghan leader feels the endgame might be played out in forums and in discussions in which he won’t be the controlling voice.
Despite unequivocal denials by both the U.S. and a Taliban spokesman that any negotiations are taking place, Karzai did not back off his remarks when he met privately with Hagel after their press conference was called off and replaced by a mere photo op.
"I told him it was not true ... that the U.S. unilaterally is not working with the Taliban to negotiate anything," Hagel later told reporters.
What would Karzai’s goal be in asserting the existence of a back-channel alliance between the U.S. and the Taliban?
"Political," a NATO official said, asking not to be identified. "I mean Karzai has always been a bit paranoid, and he’s got a control reflex that seems more apparent now, as he’s speaking to Afghans and to his legacy … but these comments about the U.S. and the Taliban might end up killing all possibilities for real negotiations. It’s difficult to see where (Karzai) is going."
But though the Karzai/Hagel press conference was scrapped, the two sides did issue final statements of continued solidarity.
"We talked about everything (in our private meeting)," Hagel said, "I told him that he could and should call me directly if there’s anything I can do to facilitate the resolution of any of these issues."
Karzai’s chief spokesman, Aimal Faizi, said that both Hagel and General Dunford had been responsive to President Karzai’s views. "They understand our concerns," Faizi said. "Hagel noted that both sides should learn from their mistakes."
Related:
Karzai accuses U.S. and Taliban of conspiring to keep troops in Afghanistan
Leave a Comment:
Looks like SOD Hagel ain't having such a good time in Afghanistan. I wonder what he will screw up next.
Looks like the "change of the guard" is really doing well on the Foreign Political front.
All Mr. Hagel is doing is promoting Mr. Obama's foreign policy agenda.
Yep, all the ME and North African countries, and Iran and North Korea are thumbing their noises at the U.S.
I wonder how Mr. Obama's "I will have more flexibility with the Iron Dome in Europe" //whisper, whisper// is going to work out with the Russians.
P.S. At least Hagel could do is tell the On-the-Ground Commanders to torch all the $ 84,000,000,000 of equipment which will be left behind when the troops pull out. Oh, he probably forgot to do that.
"these comments about the U.S. and the Taliban might end up killing all possibilities for real negotiations"
Good. Stop "negotiating."
We've wasted more than enough Americans' lives and more $$ on this hole-in-the-wall country that seems determined to remain a 4thcentry BC non-functional state.
Why wait til 2014??? BRING AMERICAN TROOPS HOME - NOW!
.
FORWARD! :-)
Why are you so quick to pick on Hagel?
What does this have to do with Hagel? Crazy Karzai was installed by the Bush administration, we've already seen him accept briefcases full of money from the Iranians (remember that?)
There is no reason to believe that Afghanistan will be 'OK' with this buffoon Karzai in charge. Why do we have a single troop there? Its not worth one more American life, half the Afghans have a 'Talliban Fashion Accessory' in their closet.
The American people have short memory. Obama said full troop withdrawal from Afghan by 2012, remember? How about the original goal of the Afghan war was to kill/capture Osama Laden? Laden has been dead for two years and US troops are still in Afghan.
The governmnt said all US troops have been withdrawn from Iraq, yet there is still a US military base in Iraq just in case the US puppet government revolt.
Even as US forces are reduced in Afghan, they are re-deploy to Pakistan and Yemen for more wars.
Lies. And more lies. Tens of thousands of stupid American youth are willing to die for this non-sense about freedom, human rights, and national security when the Fed government is using Drones to kill Americans without due process.
Please expound on what he "screwed up".....
Quote from the article
"Karzai’s chief spokesman, Aimal Faizi, said that both Hagel and General Dunford had been responsive to President Karzai’s views. “They understand our concerns,” Faizi said. “Hagel noted that both sides should learn from their mistakes.”
Yeah, sure sounds like Hagel screwed it up?!?!?!
Slodon, why comment if you're not even going to bother reading the article.
Love politician-speak........"that the U.S. unilaterally is not working with the Taliban to negotiate anything,”
Of course "multilaterally" is a different story. We look like a$$holes to many because we play two ends against the middle then deny it with political double-talk. What the hell happened to "the 80's called and want their foreign policy back" ???? Probably sent to Syria with the advisors. Did Bush ever leave the White House?
GTFO!
You have to feel sorry for Afghanistan with Karzai as President. What a disaster, just goes to show how lucky we were in our founding fathers.
While entering Afghanistan, many (Bush, his team, military top planners and so on) did not have much clues about Afghanistan, Islamic heroin addiction, Pakistan and its double games!
"that the U.S. unilaterally is not working with the Taliban to negotiate anything,” Hagel later told reporters."
Even after 12 years and battles all around, still many don't have clues of how to leave either!
They know more about oil companies, arms industry and contractors and their lobbyists!
The RWNJ's at their finest. You really believe anyone with a brain pays attention to your drivel? Maybe you'd be taken more seriously if you at least pretended you were interested in serious conversation rather than another opportunity to bash Obama. You do realize he won for a second time and your attacks are pointless right?
If the Government has had a part in it.......screwed up is all you get.
wize – your not..
To look at the issue “multilaterally you would have to believe the Taliban is a nation. Bit news, they’re not. There just a bunch of religious fanatics that the logic of their extreme view won’t work with the people of their own religion and have fallen back on radical, hate filled intimidation to force their opinion down the throats of the people around them. A lot like tea party and politics.
The only double speak around here is coming from you and wallstfatcat who is so obviously a Taliban troll trying to get everybody angry at everybody else, that no one takes him seriously.
what does it take american government to realize they don't want us in their country. Get the hell out and isolate them. Why keep killing our boys just to prove your idiotic policy works.
The RWNJ (Rude Whacked-out Neo-Con Jackass') are Stink Bombing the Obama Administration's attempt to do ANYTHING!
Karzai - the crook - was, is and will always belong to that POS George Bush. You wing nuts can wrestle with that fact as a part of the Bush/Cheney legacy.
Don G,
Do you still believe there are "weapons of mass destruction" in Iraq? Or, that the American Ambassador in Benghazi was killed because of a video? The list is almost endless.
From the NY Times:
Giving a first major public sign that they may be ready for formal talks with the American-led coalition in Afghanistan, the Taliban announced Tuesday that they had struck a deal to open a political office in Qatar that could allow for direct negotiations over the endgame in the Afghan war. 1/3/13
All you need to do is look in a mirror to find a "fanatic".
Karzai accuses U.S. and Taliban of conspiring to keep troops in Afghanistan
http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/03/10/17257872-karzai-accuses-us-and-taliban-of-conspiring-to-keep-troops-in-afghanistan?last=1362955217&threadId=3681972&sp=0&pc=25#last_1
Sure President Obama talk behind the US Allies Backs with enemies and foster greater trust of US Allies (Extreme Sarcasm).
From this Article:
Way to go an ANONYMOUS NATO Official calling the Leader of a US Ally paranoid. Just like the last time when while being investigated by General McChrystal as requested by President Karzai, President Obama's Political Appointees Holbrooke and Eikenberry to deflect blame from themselves spending Billions USDs that they could not account for with nothing being built nor done, they started screaming to the News Media, "Karzai Corrupt". In the end, after the Investigations (Concluded by General Petraeus), President Obama's Political Appointee Holbrooke and Eikenberry could NOT account for the Billions USDs spent and what they promised as the restoration of basic electricity and water was NOT done (what President Karzai included as his promise to the Afghan people during his election). Within In one week after General Petraeus concluded his investigations as requested by President Karzai; President Obama's Political Appointee Holbrooke died on the operating table at Pakistan after straining his heart. President Obama's Political Appointee Eikenberry Tendered his Letter of Resignation.
That was NOT the original goal of the Afghan War the United Nation's Mission since 2001 is Nation Building.
The October 2001 Goal was to Overthrow the Fundamentalist Islamic Taliban Government, Elimination of Al Quada, and Islamic Jihadists that Sponsored the 9/11 2001 Attacks, the Fundamentalist Islamic Taliban gave Fundamentalist Islamic Taliban Government had given Fundamentalist Islamic Osama Bin Laden and his Al Quada Islamic Sanctuary and their Full Support (without that support the 9/11 2001 Attacks would not have been possible, including locking down Afghanistan tighter than North Korea so no Snatch and Grap Operation to Grab Osama Bin Laden were possible, much less Locate Osama Bin Laden since President Clinton's previous Gutting of the US Intelligence Agencies meant no funds for Local Afghan Intelligence Assets, to Locate Osama Bin Laden, nor to link up with as well as provide Local Afghan Current Situational Intelligence, this is why immediately after the 9/11 2001 the President Bush (43) CIA Mission to Locate and Capture Osama Bin Laden Failed, and why in October 2001 the US Military Asymmetric Warfare Forces attached to the CIA's SAD/SOG had to link up with the few Afghans hiding from the Taliban in the Mountains as the Northern Alliance; the Local Afghan Intelligence Assets were not available in the Afghan Cities).
If you were President Karzai wouldn't you see something wrong with:
President Obama demanded the Letter of Resignation from General McKiernan for asking for more US Military, 90,000, to accomplish the General McKiernan War Plan to Win Afghanistan. After Resigning President Obama grabbed General McKiernan's War Plan to Win Afghanistan and calls this the Obama War Plan to Win Afghanistan.
President Obama As Commander In Chief Ordered General McChrystal to Implement the Obama War Plan To Win Afghanistan. President Obama tells the US Public and US Congress "Anything he (General McChrystal) Needs he will get". General McChrystal requests 90,000 US Military; President Obama Refuses and gives only 1/3rd, 30,000. The Obama War Plan To Win Afghanistan Failed Miserably resulting in the Unnecessary Deaths of US Citizens of the US Military, and Canadian Military Forces. President Obama's Political Appointee US Civilians on General McChrystal's High Level Staff witness the increased numbers of flag draped coffins loaded unto aircraft, and they start saying "This Administration Does Not Know What It Is Doing". President Obama blames General McChrystal, and later demands his Letter of Resignation.
General Petraeus concludes General McChrystal's Investigation of President Obama's Political Appointees Holbrooke and Eikenberry as requested by President Karzai, and gives his Report to President Karzai without informing President Obama nor SOS Clinton. President Karzai demands that President Obama's Political Appointees Holbrooke and Eikenberry account for every dime (of the Billions that they spent with nothing built nor done), or get out of his Country; they cannot, they Tendered their Letters of Resignation. President Obama makes a Deal with General Petraeus to get his Letter of Resignation.
General Allen, President Obama demanded his Letter of Resignation.
General Ham after demanding that his US Military Forces of Operation Odyssey Dawn and Operation Unified Protector less than 2 hours by propeller driven C-130s or US Military Helicopters during the over 7 hour attack rescue the US Citizens at the US Consulate at Benghazi Libya or at least send precision ground attack AC-130s or MQs (Armed Drones). President Obama demands General Ham's Letter of Resignation.
Instead of the President Obama Deflection of Blame Game, Everyone needs to know the truth that due to President Obama's Failed Foreign Policies, the US and US Allies Lost the US Military Logistics Support Bases at Pakistan as REQUIRED to support the United Nation's Mission at LANDLOCKED Afghanistan. Without these US Military Logistics Support Bases at Pakistan, the Unsupported UN, US, NATO Military Forces must withdraw from US Ally Afghanistan by 2014.
The maximum Military Forces including International Aid Workers that can be supported without the US Military Logistics Support Bases at Pakistan is 30,000.
As far as the US Military Asymmetric Warfare Forces (US Army Special Forces, Counter Insurgency) attached to the Afghan Special Forces, going into the Afghan Universities. Just like at the US the Insurgents are corrupting the minds of the Combatant Age University students, and inciting them to become the next "Radicals", "Extremists", etc..
@ldo
That's his @!$%#ing job, genius. What, did you want him to promote his own agenda? Didn't you guys whine and whine about what HIS views on Israel and Iran were? With the idea that he'd be doing his own thing and damage that US-Israel relationship? Oh but now he's Obama's mouthpiece? Gimme a break with the retard rhetoric.
Karzai whines and points the finger at the U.S. and coalition forces for supposedly making deals with the Taliban but yet it is the crooked little flea bag that is trying to release all the Taliban prisoners in order to keep his own deal with the Taliban once the coalition forces have left Afghanistan.
David - In am waiting for you to respond to the posts I have made, showing the real reason we went into Afghanistan, was to secure the Northern provinces from the Taliban, so the TAPI gas pipeline could be built. The TAPI gas pipeline would transport Israeli owned gas to from Turkmenistan to India.
Oil companies proposed the pipeline in 1995, but
it dropped off their agenda after the Taliban took control of Afghanistan the
following year. The plan was revived after the United States-led invasion of
Afghanistan in 2001, and received backing from the Asian Development Bank,
which financed feasibility studies.
Iran
can sell gas to India at a third the price of Turkmenistan. This is the ENTIRE
issue. In Turkmenistan Israel holds the lease rights to sell this gas and US
companies are building the pipeline called TAPI. This has gotten Iran upset and
that is what the whole reason for petroleum sanctions. We have US military
holding the Taliban at bay in the North all the while prince and his private
paramilitary mercenary forces are executing pipeline security privately in the
South to lend some sort of propriety to this whole sham of a war. Americans
should demand presidential head on a platter for this fraud.
Oil companies proposed the pipeline in 1995, but it dropped off their agenda after the Taliban took control of Afghanistan the following year. The plan was revived after the United States-led invasion of Afghanistan in 2001, and received backing from the Asian Development Bank, which financed feasibility studies.
Iran can sell gas to India at a third the price of Turkmenistan. This is the ENTIRE issue. In Turkmenistan Israel holds the lease rights to sell this gas and US companies are building the pipeline called TAPI. This has gotten Iran upset and that is what the whole reason for petroleum sanctions. We have US military holding the Taliban at bay in the North all the while prince and his private paramilitary mercenary forces are executing pipeline security privately in the South to lend some sort of propriety to this whole sham of a war. Americans should demand presidential head on a platter for this fraud.
Why do you continue to ignore this reality? Your claims that Clinton gutted our intelligence agencies are total drivel. They are far too large and should have been reduced. They were not gutted. There is no way the 9/11 hi jackers were not uncovered, with the level of wiretapping and computer intercepts, as well as warnings from foreign countries, including Russia. All were purposely ignored. 9/11 was an inside job, to give an excuse to invade Afghanistan, in order to control gas and oil from the Caspian region.
Both wars were wars for energy and for Israel., which is why the Pentagon was inundated with dual citizen Israel/Americans, neocons,during the Bush administration. You should know. You are a neocon/Zionist propaganda merchant.
David
As usual, thanks for a reasonable, realistic, and well stated post!
i figure karzai will take a long vacation ...with some of our tax payer money...just like obummy...let the country go to hell it's party time...
We've screwed around with these jerks long enough.. Why on earth are we fighting for, dying for and giving tons of money and equipment to people that hate our guts and don't want us there? We try to help them and then they accuse us of being against them.. Shut that big mouthed liar up and let's just take our toys and our money and go home.. Let them have at it.. They've been doing it for so long they know no other life.. Let them wallow in it.. Time to get out, go home and keep undesirables out of our own country..
Karzai has been doing to many drugs.
He is a dead man walking anyway don't even waste your time listening to his nonsense. When the Chinese roll into town to take their resources they will find out what oppressed is
You can't fix stupid.
Just get out NOW. No more money, equipment, etc. Just let Karzai take care of it on his own.
I'm sure Karzai will do a great job taking care of it on his own. I wonder if the UN will recognize "the President of the Green Zone?"
Talks between US and Taliban have been going on in Doha, capital of Qatar!
"but these comments about the U.S. and the Taliban might end up killing all possibilities for real negotiations."
US wants to leave Afghanistan to "good" Taliban. In 12 years, "bad" Taliban were removed!!
We all say: get out now!
I opposed 2003 Iraqi war too!
In the same Qatar, Saudi Arabia and other Sunni Arab League nations, next round of entries into Syria and Iran are being planned!
We propose!
Oil companies, arms industry and their monies dispose what we propose all in a few shots!!!
The only good Taliban is a dead taliban
Terry: It is will known, but we are not supposed to post them. Be careful about "ban", ban and ban!
Only good Muslim is a ......!
Can't we accept they don't want us there anymore and GTFO?
why wait lets take our troops equipment and money and leave. This guy has been gaming us the whole time for weapons and aid. he has always thought we were stupid as he11. These guys will never change over there...they have been in the 8th century and will always be there. They will never change.
"one explosion in Kabul that Hagel actually heard from his safe location more than a mile away—were intended by the Taliban to show that U.S. and coalition forces would not be able to withdraw as planned."
Talks between US and some "good" Taliban are going on in Doha, Qatar to determine the role of "good" Taliban post 2014!
Here "strategic allies" Pakistan and Qatar are helping!
In Afghanistan, Pakis have backstabbed the US and NATO forces big time. Half of NATO forces deaths are due to ungrateful and backstabbing Pakis.
When the NATO forces were entering Kandahar in 2001, Pakis airlifted key al-Qaida, Taliban, ISI and others militants by back door from Kandahar.
This includes Mullah Omar, Osama and many including Paki Haqqani militant network leaders.
Hope people remember about Pakis sheltering Osama.
Can you please: who is most stupid to permit all these go on in the past 12 years?
Mr. Binkie, EXACTLY!!!
Why are we still there Obama? Why are there more troops in harms way than when Bush was in office? Get off your lazy vacation taking ass and bring them home.
Hey A-hole, remember who put us there in the 1st place.
Krazy Karzai was installed and supported by Bush. I know facts are a problem for you.
Did you guys forget that is was really Bin Laden who caused us to be in Afghanistan?
Strategic allies Saudis and Pakis had a hand in 9/11.
So Bush and his team located Afghanistan and Iraq on the map! War, war, war...
Obama's immediate job: withdraw, withdraw, withdraw!
Next jobs for Obama and his team lined up are as follows: as oil prices are not going up as expected up to $145, oil sanctions are not working on Iran!
Job No. 1: Liberate Syria from Russians and Chinese!
Job No. 2: Remove most dangerous WMDs from Iran. This can be done only by going to war on Iran!
Most important jobs No. 3: Keep oil prices high with one excuse or other and generate jobs with wars somewhere. If there are no reasons for wars, invent them!
Al'Queda had a dozen or so camps in Afghanistan on 9-11. We could have destroyed them all with cruise missiles, we chose to invade. Neither Afghanistan nor the Taliban were our enemies. Bush chose the invasion route and we'll be no safer from attacks emanating from there when we leave than when we went in. Probably more so because now the Taliban and most of the people in Afghanistan share Al'Queda's hate.
Well Lou Leid, you told me! Sux when all you have is insults doesn't it. NEWS FLASH!!! Obama claimed he would bring out troops home. He lied! 2 more were killed yesterday. 2 more on Obama's hands. Get over it, Bush is no longer in office. Blaming Bush is getting old. Obama has had over a year to get our troops home. He said he would and he lied. In fact he has sent more troops over than Bush had there.
EX FILL time fukking now!
OBL is dead and Al Queda is scattered. Get us out of that hellhole of different tribes. It never has been one country and is not now. Kazai is nothing but the Grafter in Chief. He has influence, not power, in Kabul only. Enough lives and money down that rathole. NO MORE !
Chuck Hagel LOSER.........
Who ever selected this guy??
Why are you so quick to pick on Hagel?
Bigger question... why are you so quick to stick up for him??
You related??
Bigger, I reckon you have a tiny penis, hence your screen name... wishing, wishing, wishing
Karzai was installed by George Bush. Under the Bush administration, we watched him accept briefcases of CASH from the Iranians... then shook our head and continued on.
The guy was the latest crook, after Ahmed Chabi to be installed by George Bush... Really, we would have been better with the fraud Chalabi, at least he was somewhat stable.
We have not won a major war since WWII.
So we have a new practice: losers are heros!
Start from Bush, Sr, McCain, Kerry and so on ....!
Of course, we have another bunch of heros like Bill Clinton, who wanted to go war but did not go!
Bill Clinton invented Bosnia, a pure Salaffi nation in Europe, from no where for dirt cheap!
Jonathon...a democrat got us into a war where 58,000 killed and another million+ wounded...Kennedy and Vietnam....
I don't give a flying flip who started it or what any other war or the political party the president at the time had to do with this... It's time!! It's time to pick up our stuff, stop all funding and go home.. Guard our own country against these weirdos that never wanted or deserved our help from the start..
I'd say stay on course to pull out. If Karzai really see no allegiance with us then we should leave earlier to save sequestered monies supporting this thing, I'm certain Chaney would be appalled on the pull-out. Oh -he's not in office. Sounds like a missed orifices. PULL OUT! Our forces don't have time for dead cells. In plain sight strategy the enemy deploys and the drones do work!
Karzai has to cut back on the opium his smoking a little to much. and he is afraid what is going to happen to him when the U.S. is gone.
We need to make sure that Karzai "retires" in the horizontal position just before pulling our last troop out of there, no need to let the Taliban have all the fun.
He wouldn't be the first. Chile and Vietnam come to mind.
Here's a novel idea: How about we gtf out of Afghanistan yesterday?
You know what? our troops have been over there fighting their war and what thanks have we been given? not a damn thing!! they haven't given us free oil, they haven't and won't pay us back for fighting something they should have taken care of themselves long ago... so why the hell haven't we came home long ago?
more and more americans get killed every day and yet we stay, not making a penny while our country is going broke because of them... I say enough is enough, bring them all home and if they kill themselves, then so be it... that is how it has always been over there and it won't change when we leave.. plus they will always hate America, because we always stick our noses into every countries business...
there comes a point where we should just take care of our own country and butt out of others....for gods sake, lets rebuild America and forget about anyone else's problems, we have enough of our own... don't you think?????
Well, you know... maybe we should have listened to the French, and the British and all those 'liberals' who thought this whole thing was a bad idea.
It WAS a bad idea. After we eliminated the training camps and especially after OBL and his buddies were dead... its long past time to go.
Afghanistan has no oil. You are thinking of Iraq and we are already out of there. More and more Americans are not being killed every day - there were no US casualties for over a month. That being said, we should get out of Afghanistan sooner rather than later. We will have no influence there when we leave. The strategy initiated by Bush/Cheney (and I think Bush had less to do with it than Cheney) has handed the region over to the Iranians and the Chinese for decades - and reactionaries in this country think Obama is un-American.
We need to leave, but only after doing a drone strike on that m-f Karzai. He sucks camel balls.
Karzai sucks more then Camel nuts, he sucked USA greenbacks for his escape once we escape.
We need to stay the course as set. It would be a huge negative statement to leave now. Not saying we should still be here but to alter the plan now makes us appear weak. These people are scum and to heed to thier threatening would be bad news for all Americans down the road. We should just show them how much might our military really has and close the door on a rubble heap when we do leave!
Karzai is a real phoney trying to play the fence. He knows he is a target of the Taliban trying to play into their hands by denouncing the USA. Now he is scared with this timetable, but in public he wants the Taliban to think he is not a bad guy & that is way to late to play phony with the Taliban. I predict he will be killed or leave the country just like the top heads of Vietnam's government did when we left there. We kept him in power & the Taliban all to well knows this. Why are we fighting the Taliban anyway? Somewhere along the line we lost our purpose of 9/11 & went to far with it. Saving face for 10-12 yr wars. No one takes blame for them. A pure lack of leadership has been missing from our government for years & years.
Isn't it strange how the mighty American military hasn't been able to win a war against tent-dwelling goat herders armed only with small arms and IEDs in Afghanistan for... how many years now? And some of you want to get into a war with North Korea or China or Russia or Iran now? All I can say is... LOL
Uh... Jon Stewart said it best. We're not the best at NATION BUILDING, but we are really good at Nation UN-Building.
Iraq fell in 100 hours after putzes like you said we'd get into a military 'quagmire'. We have the most awesome military the world has ever seen.
Our military was made to fight the Soviets and the Chinese possibly at the same time.
Our problem is not achieving military victories - we can do that within days just about anywhere. Our military is the most powerful and professional in the world and they do a spectacular job when they are allowed to do their job. Our problem is achieving peace. Our administration of countries that we defeat militarily is abysmal. Our decision to completely dismantle the rank and file military and civil service in Iraq accelerated the tribal divisions and civil war that has followed. It is not possible to change the entire political culture of a country in fewer than two or three generations. For some reason we think we can do it in a couple of years.
Was the invasion of Afghanistan justified to pursue and eliminate Al Quida? Probably. And our military accomplished their mission almost flawlessly. The idea that we would create a new better Afghanistan was completely insane and should never have been a mission imposed on the military. Understanding that is why the current administration has not moved into unstable countries in force, instead letting internal conflicts take their course. It doesn't look as dramatic as an invasion but in the long run is much more politically viable.
Bring our people home now, leave nothing or ours or things we built behi8nd, and don't send them another penny, let Karzai take care of everything else himself. Let HIM pay for it all.
Well! Hagel might not be the smoothest Schoomiest on the dole and coruption train everybody else has been on for the last 13 years, but as inarticulatete as he is he was a Vietnam grunt who knows the price is paid by teenage Mid America duped into war by Dupont - Halliburton - and Blackwater.
Afghanistan has been and always will be ruled by small Tribal counsels since Alexander the Great. Even though you think you are smarter than the Roman Empire in your Redneck Trailor Parks the Hindu Kush will never give a @!$%# about PBS or what Justin Beiber is up to.
America is in a state of decline due to the repub party which is more like the Talibahn than a real govt. party.
We will get what we deserve. This is coming from a guy who just listened to what ex vice president Cheney had to say about how American torture is better than Nazi torture.
Let me figure this out: We got Karzai, we got Drug Lords, we got America, we got Europe, we got the Taiban,we got the Afghanstan people.
None trusting each others words.
Sorry, to much conflict for this Peanut Gallery to figure out. Please go to other's blog for their comments.
screw them all and stop helping all these places with war or money and come home and stay at home and worry about ourselfs for a change.
AMEN, Head shacker!
Karzai found out that he is not going to be around too much longer. he is not going to be spending any of the money he has been skimming. Yes we knew.
Why are we proping this guy up anyway?
I know we can do a lot of stupid things. However, I never knew we could do something this stupid by getting into Afghanistan, then, get far more stupid by staying. Remaining stupid. Then, want to do something stupid-er by leaving troops there after the so-called 'pullout.' Maybe we want to be eternally stupid. Karzai doesn't want us making deals with the Taliban, because, he wants to make deals with the Taliban to keep the opium flowing. The Karzai Drug Cartel doesn't want us in the way once he brokers his deals.
Karzai is afraid we might broker a deal with the Taliban and he gets cut out of the action. It's all about the opium. Nothing more.