Afghanistan is NOT impossible if we are willing to ditch the Karzai regime and build up a new power base from scratch. The problem is most Americans just don't have the guts for that kind of long haul thinking.
With Iran, it will be one long stalemate. Iran will carry on with the nuclear program and we'll do AIPAC's bidding in enforcing sanctions. It really depends on what Russia and China will do in the long run. Russia seems to be onboard with the understanding that US will take a hands off approach on its sphere of influence, but it's a very shaky understanding that could be undermined by any crisis in the region. China... who knows? If Iraq stabilizes and grows close to Iran as US moves out, Iran can rely on Iraq as a defacto bridge to world trade.
Obama will send troops in Afghanistan because his big donors and backers are part of the AIPAC crowd. He will do thisin order to keep the main fight in Afghanistan WHILE building up Pakistan into a strong secular powre. US kept the main fight in Indochina while strengthening the rest of Southeast Asia in the 60s and 70s. Though US lost in Indochina, Indonesia and other countries were saved. Also, after the brutally long battle, the communists in Vietnam and Cambodia were too weary to spread communism. So, even if US eventually loses in Afghanistan, it can bloody the insurgents so much that they will have to concentrate on domestic affairs after victory than expanding into Pakistan--which will have been built up militarily in ther meantime. Bush said 'we are fighting ver there so we don't have to fight over here' about the Iraq War. ObamAipac will try to keep the fight in Afghanistan--for the time being--so that they won't have to fight in Pakistan(in the longterm future), which will hopefully have been stabilized and built up militarily over the next several yrs.
"Neocons believe that American security and moral obligations demand the US spread democracy. They argue simply that every person deserves the freedoms associated with legitimate governance and that democracies don't fight each other."
Rubbish. Neoconservative foreign policy, when boiled down to essentials, is Zionism by other means. Notice that Neocons seek to impose 'democracy'--aka American power--only on nations that threaten Israel--Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Libya, and North Korea(which sold missiles to Arab nations). When did Neocons ever try to use military power to impose democracy on tyrannies that pose no direct nor indirect threat on Israel?
Israel is concerned about Iranian nukes not because Iran might use them against Israel but because they take away Israel's advantage in conventional weaponry. The mere prospect that Iran MIGHT use nukes against Israel paralyzes ANY conventional military action on the part of Israel against Iran or Iran's allies. Even if Iran had nukes, there is zero chance that it will ever initiate first strike against Israel. But, even the faintest possiblity that Iran might retaliate with nukes if Israel attacked Iran means that Israel could never use conventional military power against a nuclear-armed Iran. So, this is not really about Israel fear of a first-strike nuclear attack from Iran but Israel's anxiety that it might lose its advantage in conventional warfare.
Carlin's brand of cynicism is only helpful to those in power. Cynicism paralyzes people from action. By the way, by 'those who really own America', Carlin meant the conservatieves. That punk was a leftie all his life. And, he should talk!! He was also a major junkie. Drugs have ruined a lot of lives, yet he made light of all his all through is career. He indulged in that stuff. He was a lowlife hedonist all his life.
Besides, it's one thing to attack the power elite. Problem is the fool also attacks WORK ETHIC as something bad. What a punk.
I hate this vulgar lowlife scumbag. Why is he on Buchanan.org?
Shadow, pull your head out of your shadowy conspiracy-minded ass.
Defeat is relative. For a superpower like the US to pull out of Afghanistan would be a major blow to American image around the world since US made so much noise about bringing the torch of freedom and progress to that part of the world. No, the Taliban cannot defeat the US like the Soviets defeated Germany. But, we can be defeated in terms of pride and honor. But sometimes, what seems like defeat can turn into victory of sorts. US lost in Vietnam but the commies did such a horrible job that we came to look good in the end. And even commies turned away from communism eventually. We lost the war, won the peace. I think in Afghanistan, we can lose both the war and the peace.
“So the flaws conservatives are pointing out about ACORN are not so much problems associated with that organization per se but more about the problems of being poor and minority in urban America.”
Excuses, excuses. Then, why not let stupid Creationists and other ignorant people on the Right off the hook? Why not say such people support stupid educational policies--like teaching ID in schools--because they are victims of poor education?
Why not let Neo-Nazi types off the hook? Oh no, the KKK isn't to blame. It is crazy and bigoted because our educational system has produced too many dumb white people. Excuses, excuses.
Btw, NPR is largely liberal Jewish. Jews arrived in the US with nothing and went from rags to riches. They didn't have other people making excuses for them, but so many rich liberal Jews make excuses for criminal blacks.
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Ruckus