Finally we’re starting to see that we do not need to occupy a hostile country forever. We should have just gone in and killed the people who needed killing, and those who stood in the way, broke some stuff, and come home.
I am a former Chairman of the Tidewater Libertarian Party and was the 2007 LP candidate for the 14th district VA Senate. Previously, I was the Volunteer State Director for the FairTax. I am married 50 years with two grown children and 5 grandchildren.
View all posts by Don Tabor
Published
19 thoughts on “20/20 Hindsight on Afghanistan”
Basically, a Tomahawk cruise missile strike is exactly and all that was called for. Oh wait, no, the GOP gave Clinton a world o’sh*t for that one earlier… “Wag the Dog” they cried.
Of course, they’d have had better results with 1 B-52 and a load of JDAMs.
Bi-partisan stupidity. I agree. Obama should have declared victory and come home.
With that said, he ran on a promise to get out of Iraq – which he did – and to pursue the war in Afghanistan which he also did. So, the real stupidity lies with We, the People who have been conditioned to believe that we can solve intractable problems with guns, bullets and bombs.
No question. Especially Iraq. So was Vietnam. And most of the other conflicts we get into.
Our culture is imbued with the Military/Industrial Complex. Why have the great war machine if we are not going to use it?
The poster baby is Rumsfeld when he said we’d been in and out in months, the Iraqis will love us and their oil money would pay us back. He was backed up by neo-cons and Cheney, whose company stood to make billions.
And now we have a dummy Bush, a smart Obama and a whatever Trump who have all been duped by the same culture that violence fixes things.
(Yes, the Trump Ambrose forgot to mention. He increased our troops to Afghanistan and the Mideast and told us he was on the verge of a “deal” with the Taliban. Until they blew up a lot of people.)
Well here, lemme give ya something to disagree with…
Aside from Panama and Grenada, all other military actions since Korea have resulted in a retreat, or a subsequent s-staining, starting Vietnam and the Mayaquez incident.
My favorite was our Beirut pullout… “Ol’ Cut&Run Reagan” February 3, 4, something like that, it’s “We shall not cut & run…” and February 7 it’s “We’re outta there! Every man for himself!”
The final pullout was so fast and unannounced that we left the French Peacekeepers with an undefended flank which they scrambled to fill in and cover the US pullout.
But, by god, can Hollywood make it all look so, so, patriotic and glorious… and a win.
Should I have said Happy Holidays? If I did, someone would accuse me of waging a war on Christmas.
TO the reform Druid, Merry Solstice.
To my fellow Jews, Happy Hanukkah.
To the Christians, Merry Christmas.
If anyone here celebrates Kwanza, enjoy!
And just a friendly reminder; Jews celebrate Christmas by eating Chinese takeout and going to the movies. So an acceptable Hanukkah gift is a gift card to a movie theater. It’s more expensive than the food.
Tidewater News and Opinion Forum 
Basically, a Tomahawk cruise missile strike is exactly and all that was called for. Oh wait, no, the GOP gave Clinton a world o’sh*t for that one earlier… “Wag the Dog” they cried.
Of course, they’d have had better results with 1 B-52 and a load of JDAMs.
LikeLiked by 3 people
Occupying Afghanistan has proven to be bi-partisan stupidity.
LikeLiked by 4 people
Bi-partisan stupidity. I agree. Obama should have declared victory and come home.
With that said, he ran on a promise to get out of Iraq – which he did – and to pursue the war in Afghanistan which he also did. So, the real stupidity lies with We, the People who have been conditioned to believe that we can solve intractable problems with guns, bullets and bombs.
LikeLiked by 4 people
No question. Especially Iraq. So was Vietnam. And most of the other conflicts we get into.
Our culture is imbued with the Military/Industrial Complex. Why have the great war machine if we are not going to use it?
The poster baby is Rumsfeld when he said we’d been in and out in months, the Iraqis will love us and their oil money would pay us back. He was backed up by neo-cons and Cheney, whose company stood to make billions.
And now we have a dummy Bush, a smart Obama and a whatever Trump who have all been duped by the same culture that violence fixes things.
(Yes, the Trump Ambrose forgot to mention. He increased our troops to Afghanistan and the Mideast and told us he was on the verge of a “deal” with the Taliban. Until they blew up a lot of people.)
LikeLiked by 1 person
American hubris coupled with the greed of of the military industrial complex.
Rumsfeld, Chaney Cabal mostly to blame, but Obama didn’t do nearly enough to fix it.
Sending more troops into Saudi Arabia ain’t the damn answer either.
LikeLiked by 4 people
Here’s a first. We have 5 Comments from across the great divide on this blog.
AND WE ALL AGREED‼️
Somebody is smokin’ sumtin’.
🥳
LikeLiked by 1 person
Well here, lemme give ya something to disagree with…
Aside from Panama and Grenada, all other military actions since Korea have resulted in a retreat, or a subsequent s-staining, starting Vietnam and the Mayaquez incident.
My favorite was our Beirut pullout… “Ol’ Cut&Run Reagan” February 3, 4, something like that, it’s “We shall not cut & run…” and February 7 it’s “We’re outta there! Every man for himself!”
The final pullout was so fast and unannounced that we left the French Peacekeepers with an undefended flank which they scrambled to fill in and cover the US pullout.
But, by god, can Hollywood make it all look so, so, patriotic and glorious… and a win.
LikeLike
Of course the problem was that we shouldn’t have been here, there and everywhere in the first place.
Bush the Elder was prescient when he said “you break it, you buy it”.
The cynic in me says that when some people make a lot of money in the arms industry, it raises an eyebrow.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Halliburton?
Beatle references are always appropriate…..
LikeLiked by 1 person
Don, I believe you may have found one item we can all agree on. Merry Christmas!
LikeLike
And Happy Hanukkah?
LikeLiked by 2 people
We reform Druids celebrate the Winter Solstice.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Trees are all likeable. Too bad about people.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Should I have said Happy Holidays? If I did, someone would accuse me of waging a war on Christmas.
TO the reform Druid, Merry Solstice.
To my fellow Jews, Happy Hanukkah.
To the Christians, Merry Christmas.
If anyone here celebrates Kwanza, enjoy!
And just a friendly reminder; Jews celebrate Christmas by eating Chinese takeout and going to the movies. So an acceptable Hanukkah gift is a gift card to a movie theater. It’s more expensive than the food.
LikeLiked by 1 person
The original “we’ll leave the light on for you”.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I must be tired. I missed that the first three times I read it.
Or maybe it is the agreement getting in my head.
LikeLike
I’m still trying to figure out Jimmie’s “Beatle references”.
LikeLiked by 1 person
@len
That makes it even better.
Song off of the Revolver album; Here, There, and Everywhere.
LikeLiked by 2 people
@len
Whippersnapper!
LikeLiked by 2 people