Afghanistan expected to cost US dearly (Iraq, middle east, generation, Obama)

[afoigrokerkok]

Afghanistan expected to cost U.S. dearly - Washington Post- msnbc.com

As the Obama administration expands U.S. involvement in Afghanistan, military experts are warning that the United States is taking on security and political commitments that will last at least a decade and a cost that will probably eclipse that of the Iraq war.

[mwruckman]

5 or 10 years after US forces leave Afganistan what will remain behind? Will it be like Vietnam with rusting remains of shattered helicopters and trucks, weed covered runways at Bagram AFB, or broken bodies and the ruins of mud brick villages. Will this along with the thousands of new American graves and billions if not trillions added to our childrens burden of debt be our legacy?

[texdav]

Don't get me wrong i would love to solave the problem in afgansitan. But as histroy has shown no govbernamnt has ever been able to control the comutry. The britsih couldn't nor teh Russians. It aso is a country that has no real economic base other than poppy crop and little else. It is one fo teh worse terrains to fight a insurgency. The population is poorly educated and a most tribal to the extent of being 13th centruy like. Iraq is quite the oppostite in that the education level is high in the pre-saddam generation. The country has resources to suuport itself. We before the withdrawal had reallt tuerned a corner in that war and its a much better palkce to fight a insurgency. I really doubt that afgansitan can support itself in the future if we evr leave or quite funding it.The only reason we pick afganistan to fight the terrorist insurgents is political IMO.It was already russias vietnam and looks like our vietnam 2.I would love to be wrong on this.

[EinsteinsGhost]

Originally Posted by mwruckman

5 or 10 years after US forces leave Afganistan what will remain behind? Will it be like Vietnam with rusting remains of shattered helicopters and trucks, weed covered runways at Bagram AFB, or broken bodies and the ruins of mud brick villages. Will this along with the thousands of new American graves and billions if not trillions added to our childrens burden of debt be our legacy?

We could have used your insight back in 2001. You're about eight years too late.

[mwruckman]

Originally Posted by EinsteinsGhost

We could have used your insight back in 2001. You're about eight years too late.

I'm one of the few who felt that America's killing spree in the Middle East was a poor response to 9/11. I don't believe you honor the dead by pouring more innocent blood on the graves. Instead America threw a temper tantrum. One good thing may happen out of Afganistan, Afganistan broke the illusion of Soviet power and helped put the USSR on the trash tip of history. It may do the same for American exceptionalism and the USA. Like Russia we will then become a just a normal country.

[ovcatto]

Originally Posted by mwruckman

It may do the same for American exceptionalism and the USA. Like Russia we will then become a just a normal country.

I thought Vietnam was supposed to have done that. As for the former Soviets, the normality has been lost on the Chechnyans and Georgians.

[trlhiker]

Its too bad that Bush wiped his hands clean of Afganistan when he decided to invade Irag.

[coastalrap]

So it would appear that the dems are in favor of Obama's war of choice. They come to defend it by citing their opposition to Bush and Iraq.

They look to see the letter after the name before deciding if they are for or against them.

[FinkieMcGee]

This falls on the citizens. If Obama said he was going to pull out of Afghanistan as well he would've been seen as soft and never would have been elected.

[Huckleberry3911948]

taxpayers are sad but not DOD.