AL NEUHARTH
That applies to all wars. They’re all hell for those involved. Some are worth it. Some are not. The war in Afghanistan certainly is not. So, we should get the hell out, sooner not later. Invading Afghanistan after 9/11 to try to get Osama bin Laden and his gang certainly was worth it. After he and they escaped to Pakistan, we should have gone after them. But then President Bush and Vice President Cheney and their crowd didn’t.
Instead, they used that situation as a flimsy excuse to invade Iraq. The cost of that misadventure — in lives and dollars — is inexcusable.
President Obama properly has brought most of our troops home from Iraq. But he doesn’t understand that Afghanistan is now in the same category. That’s especially true because Obama removed any reason for fighting in Afghanistan when he had our Navy SEALs get bin Laden from a petty Pakistan and dumped his body into the sea. Unfortunately, many of our political leaders listen to pro-war advocates with personal interests. President Dwight Eisenhower, who led us to victory in World War II, put it in perspective when he warned us about the “military-industrial complex” that promotes wars for its own benefit. November’s presidential election likely will be decided by both the economy and war. Obama is doing OK on the economy. If he gets it about war, he’ll win. If he doesn’t, he probably won’t. “Afghanistan is still in the national interest, but if the president’s plan is to hold ground until 2014, then we need to shift to a counterterrorism strategy that relies on fewer troops.”                                                  –USA Today