Democratic support for Afghanistan Conflict Waning

[Ahiga]

With a growing-yet-ambiguous mission and no clear exit strategy, the war in Afghanistan is fast becoming a key political liability for President Barack Obama.

Last week, the White House gamely tried to characterize Thursday's Afghan elections as a milestone for democracy. But the administration's tepid relationship with presumptively re-elected President Hamid Karzai is one symptom of a larger struggle for Obama.

"Our goal is clear: To disrupt, dismantle and defeat al Qaeda and their extremist allies," Obama said of Afghanistan. "This is not a challenge that we asked for; it came to our shores when al Qaeda launched the 9/11 attacks from Afghanistan."

Obama has tried to bring stability to Afghanistan by sending more troops and shaking up the military command. He broadened the regional strategy to include Pakistan and rooting out terrorist safe havens.

But even so, a Washington Post/ABC News poll last week found 51 percent of Americans said the war in Afghanistan is not worth fighting. Among Democrats, 70 percent are against the war.

http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/po...-53982497.html

I used a random source after recalling and not being able to find a poll from the Washington Post which illustrated how amongst democrats support for the war is starting to wane and wane considerably.

[Player989random]

http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/po...-53982497.html

I used a random source after recalling and not being able to find a poll from the Washington Post which illustrated how amongst democrats support for the war is starting to wane and wane considerably.

There are days where both parties look alike. Infighting and closing ranks along with stubborn idiocy.

[The Devil's Sergeant]

I don't see anything surprising here, the democrat's base have been cheering for al-queda since 9/12.







j/k - well, not that much.

[Каие]

Excellent. The people being so against is the perfect reason why it should continue. These are the same people who supported it in the 90% in 2001, and the same ones who supported Iraq in it's 70-odd%. Who cares what they think!

[danzig]

Sadly (and Im sincere) is the disinterest in Afganistan could very well play off as a big issue to use against Obama if it continues down the current path. I mean next election suppose Afghan remains in shambles, Iraq remains the way it is...pretty easy campaign issue for any republican to come in point and go look, Bush came up with a plan (not really but politicans always take create) for Iraq, implemented it and it worked and when left to Obama he did nothing with Afganistan. I can almost picture the sound bite commericals now.

[Exarch]

may as well pull out of afghanistan

[CtrlAltDe1337]

may as well pull out of afghanistan

Yes, lets just leave and let them attack us again

[Exarch]

Yes, lets just leave and let them attack us again

they attacked because of US foreign policy/interference in the region in the first place
and ironically were created by US foreign policy/interference in the first place

[Gertrudius]

they attacked because of US foreign policy/interference in the region in the first place
and ironically were created by US foreign policy/interference in the first place

True, we made our bed and now we have to lay in it, but that by no means justifies leaving Afghanistan to be consumed in yet another massive civil war.

Take it easy,

[danzig]

they attacked because of US foreign policy/interference in the region in the first place
and ironically were created by US foreign policy/interference in the first place

Actually they attacked due to general western interference in the region which dates back to British, French etc and the types of people we are talking about their demands/expecations border on the absurd...ie they would find offense with something else and use that as an excuse. These types of extremist arent just going to go away you know and as long as a) the world needs oil and b) israel exists there will always be a reason for them. It is the nature of extremism after all to find something, someone to blame.

[Jaketh]

we have two options

1.Do the world a favor and nuke the country
2.get the hell out of dodge and forget about it

[Admiral Piett]

Yes, lets just leave and let them attack us again

Whoa whoa whoa, Afghanistan attacked us?! When?

[persianfan247]

Maybe peristance will pay off.

[Jexiel]

Those wars will end when they are no longer profitable.

[Ahlerich]

Yes, lets just leave and let them attack us again

you know that a argument i hear a lot. what kinda training did they get in the taliban camps? i tell you, they got some basic infantry military training.

the people that carried out 9/11 got their required training in germany and the usa, not in a cave in afganistan.
also there are still so many "terror camps" running in other countries like jemen. this argument even though used by smart people for propaganda reasons is wrong.

they shut down a few infantry training camps in almost a decade of beeing there. well that was worth it.

[The Noble Lord]

I think that we can all agree that it was the invasion of Iraq in 2003 that shifted the focus from Afghanistan to Iraq and almost let Afghanistan to take care of its problems on its own which was nonsense.
The question is what to do now, I have no doubt that Obama has a genuine intentions and that he would love to end that war but it's not that easy.
The thing is, the International community lost the opportunity to successfully conclude matters in Afghanistan after the military operations during the 2002. The Taliban and Al Qaeda remnants were militarily defeated, they were humiliated, shamed, and were really a spent force.
But thanks to Paul Wolfowitz and Donald Rumsfeld and their Iraq adventure the Taliban, Al Qaeda, and Hezbi-Islami came back and separately and sometimes together made a such a comeback that today if you want to travel just south of Kabul to provinces of Logar and Vardak you are in danger of being ambushed/killed/kidnapped.

So no wonder that interest in Afghanistan waning and people just don't care, in October this year it's going to be exactly 8 years since we went there and situation is not only not improving it's actually getting worse. So, as a new president Obama is trying to do something but he is going the wrong direction. He is actually increasing the troops and possibly letting the same man in charge (Karzai).
Those two things would lead the entire effort into disaster if radical changes are not made!

[removeduser_487563287433]

I've been advocating leaving Afghanistan for a while now. Do a deal with the Taleban so we ensure they stop supporting Al Quaeda and let them beat on their women to their heart's content. You watch, in a few years this will prove the damn sensible choice.

[Exarch]

who are the yanks kidding,
afghanistan aint gonna be a liberal democracy anytime soon, if ever, and if it did, that's no guarantee that it'll be loyal to US interests.

the best Washington can hope for is a CIA backed afghan dictator that's loyal to Washington. true, tried and tested

[Smeel]

who are the yanks kidding,
afghanistan aint gonna be a liberal democracy anytime soon, if ever, and if it did, that's no guarantee that it'll be loyal to US interests.

the best Washington can hope for is a CIA backed afghan dictator that's loyal to Washington. true, tried and tested

Yeah, it turned out sooo well in Iraq and Iran But yeah, It's kind of naive to think that Democratic elections will magically change the way people think.

[Frédéric Bastiat]

Alexis Tocqueville's thesis about Democracies and wars remains intact.