America Overstays Soviets in Afghanistan

Obama wanted to be a president who would set records in office. He has this week set a new one: American troops have now been in Afghanistan longer than the Soviets. We won! Man the Cold War feuds are awesome. Take that Commies!

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And doing what exactly? The original mission was to hunt down al Qeada and overthrow the Taliban who harbored them. According to the Pentagon, on the eve of the Afghan war there were a little less than 100 al Qeada terrorists. We've arrested or killed most of them. The Taliban has been overthrown. What remains of either is nestled deep into No Man's Land in the caves and valleys of Afghanistan and can be hunted down through special forces and drones without necessitating tens of thousands of American infantry battalions.

So what are we doing? Trying to build a functioning state? Was that the original mandate for war? State-building is not necessary for American security and cannot be obtained in a reasonable cost to American treasury and blood. And our chosen clients in the nation are betting against us, taking money from Iran, and are corrupt officials profiting off of aid money. And the U.S. elite used to champion Karzai !

The Soviets, who were far more brutal, thuggish and cold-hearted than we are, eventually lost the war. And they inflicted mass suffering on the Afghanis but still could not get them to conform. Fortunately America is guided by more regard, albeit not enough, for human civilians that we would not do that. And yet with our approach we are going to get the Afghans to conform. Winning hearts and minds is certainly more effective, but still a costly and uncertain path.

Beating the Soviet record is enough. Do we have to beat Alexander the Great as well? Let's cut our losses and go home.