Mistaking Movement for Progress

Dressing a Terrorist, Ajdin

"President Hamid Karzai yesterday offered to meet the Taliban leader and give militants a government position only hours after a suicide bomber in army disguise attacked a military bus, killing 30 people – nearly all of them Afghan soldiers (Afghan President Offers Taliban Militants a Role in Governing)."

Some progress, huh? The U.S. has spent billions of dollars in this rat's nest, and has had good soldiers die there, for what? This is called back to square one. And how many turns of the cross do you think our soldiers should make?

Karzai said,

"If a group of Taliban or a number of Taliban come to me and say, 'President, we want a department in this or in that ministry or we want a position as deputy minister ... I wish there would be a demand as easy as this. I wish that they would want a position in the government. I will give them a position."

"The U.S. Embassy in Kabul has said it does not support negotiations with Taliban fighters, lebeling them as terrorists, although the UN and NATO have said an increasing number of Taliban are interested in laying down their arms. NATO's ambassador to Afghanistan, Daan Everts, said this month that the alliance would look into the possibility of talks."

Surely an accommodation must be reached within Afghan society, but why is the U.S. doing it?

For the longest time, the rhetoric was "baby steps," implying forward, if slow, motion. Unfortunately, baby steps is as big a lie as is the concept that the Taliban is an organization that targets the U.S. overseas. While the Taliban certainly possesses the potential, their policies were inward and reactionary, and as such they were no threat to America.

Destroying al-Qaida was the mission. Destroying the Taliban was not a baby step, it was a misstep. Now the indicators reflect a Taliban which will enjoy a place in the new Afghan government, funded and created with U.S. blood money.

Ranger is not anti-Taliban, but is anti-GWB policy which has run amuck with our nation's funds, spent our international goodwill and run our military aground.

Very anti this short-sighted and larcenous administration, whose only vision is to line their pockets and larder their platform of voting faithfuls by pushing some sort of apocalyptic showdown in the holy land. This 21st century hucksterism is unpalatable, no matter how much treacle is poured on top.

Afghanistan is not a "good war." It is a black hole for U.S. time and money.