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Is it time to cut and run from Afghanistan?

Is it time to cut and run from Afghanistan?

  • Yes, as quickly as possible

    Votes: 28 87.5%
  • No, we should stay and continue the mission.

    Votes: 4 12.5%

  • Total voters
    32
take the time and set charges. Blow everything up we can't take.

The Presidential candidate you're supporting for this election is willing to take the political hit for this?

Quote with link, please.
 
Why would you want to give the Taliban that much equipment?

That's why a rapid exit would not be wise, so I would not support that type of withdrawal. That said, what exactly is the mission? Nation building does not seem to me like something we should be doing. Nor do I think we should try and create safety by invasion. First, because I don't think it works. We can't invade and control enough countries to make us safe. Better to use resources to actually track down and deal with terrorists and not invade nations and nation build.
 
You can never run from the Moslems. We've come to take over the world. mwahahaha. *twirls mustache*
sike.

It's time to leave.
 
That's why a rapid exit would not be wise, so I would not support that type of withdrawal. That said, what exactly is the mission? Nation building does not seem to me like something we should be doing. Nor do I think we should try and create safety by invasion. First, because I don't think it works. We can't invade and control enough countries to make us safe. Better to use resources to actually track down and deal with terrorists and not invade nations and nation build.

About a year and half to two years ago, the mission was nation building. We were making schools, homes, roads, infrastructure of every sort.

Today, the mission is not nation building. Today the mission is GTFO. We're leaving Afghanistan but we're taking our toys with us.
 
About a year and half to two years ago, the mission was nation building. We were making schools, homes, roads, infrastructure of every sort.

Today, the mission is not nation building. Today the mission is GTFO. We're leaving Afghanistan but we're taking our toys with us.

Which works for me.
 
About a year and half to two years ago, the mission was nation building. We were making schools, homes, roads, infrastructure of every sort.
Today, the mission is not nation building.....

Yup, nation building requires a culture change in the 'new nation' and takes a generation. They don't have to give up much of their culture, but they have to trade in some for something that will work in today's world. As a whole we don't want to do that, we don't have to commitment to do it.
 
See this is what I don't get about people, why is it always a cut and run or we lost the war simply because we leave? Clearly we won both the Iraq and Afganistan wars. We decimated the Afghan and Iraqi military and government,killed hundreds of Al Quida leaders and soldiers, helped rebuild both countries including putting democratic governments in place, and killed both Saddam and Bin Laden. That's a victory people, and just like every other war once you won you get out. It's not our job to police these people's countries for a hundred years.
 
The Presidential candidate you're supporting for this election is willing to take the political hit for this?

Quote with link, please.

Doubt any would. mearly commenting on your post of what could/would be left behind.

I do think we could be out before 2014 which Obama has set. Doesn't the govt. and the people of Afigan. want us out?
Without asking maybe Pakistan would let us exit through their as long as we are going. It is becoming clear that they don't want us in their country.
 
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I've thought this for awhile. Even the people we help keep in power keep making statements against us. It's time to go.

To be honest, I'd make a deal with the Taliban... You leave us alone for a year or so, we'll get our people and our equipment out, then you can do whatever you want, and we'll both save face.
 
It was time for the US to leave before they arrived.
I think a war was justified in this case. Regardless of how sensible we'd like the people of the world to be, the US was deeply wounded by 9/11 and nothing short of making someone pay for that shock and pain was going to suffice. We asked the Taliban to help us and gave them plenty of opportunity to change their mind before we invaded. They flat-out refused us and continued to side with Al Qaeda. I'm a Teddy Roosevelt type, Walk Softly, but there comes a time when you are forced to use the Big Stick and this was one of those times.

The withdrawal should stay on the existing schedule. The US has been leaving Afghanistan for nearly a year, "force reductions" are ongoing, we're even dropping people from my company again soon. The US and nearly all international ISAF forces expect to be 100% out of Afghanistan by mid to late 2014.

It actually does takes that long to get out of that ****hole of a country. We can't even just pack up and drive out because our convoys get attacked regularly.

We would leave Afghanistan quickly if only the Taliban would step aside and let us.
I agree completely. It was time to leave when ObL was taken out and it wasn't long after that we started pulling out. I'm glad you're explaining the military reality here, that it takes awhile to move several divisions through unfriendly territory. Keep up the good work and here's hoping you and yours make it home safe!
 
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After the most recent events in Afghanistan, is it time to cut our losses and bring the troops home?

Cutting our loses and troop withdrawal is different than cutting and running.

Today Karzai is calling for it from villages immediately and totally by 2013, but it may be a show for the locals, while Obama wants to stick to the 2014 schedule. It's debatable, but unlikely Afghansstan will be able to fend for itself once we leave, but I rather stay and give them the benefit of doubt.
 
It was time to do that a long time ago. We're wasting our time in Afghanistan. The minute we leave, the Taliban is coming back because the people of Afghanistan want the Taliban in power. All we're doing is keeping them on the fringes at the point of a gun. Once that gun goes away, it's coming back with a vengeance.

You can't impose democracy on anyone, they have to want it for themselves and be willing to work for it without being forced.

I'd be curious to your thoughts on Iraq.

I highly doubt the people in Afghanistan want Taliban rule. The only reason they did in the 1st place was a power vacuum and lawlessness after the end of the Soviet war. I'm fairly sure most regretted it. The women had to.
 
We didn't up and abandon anything in Iraq. When we left, and the last unit left Iraq just this month, we took everything we wanted with us. Afghanistan, however, has no sea ports and we can't use Pakistan's anymore. If we "cut-n-run" by just putting people on aircraft and flying away, we would leaving behind billions in our latest technology, just parked in the motor pool waiting.

I heard where Pakistan may have opened one of the land routes they previously closed. Even though I hoped we'd be able to help Afghanistan out of the dark ages, I'm beginning to doubt it. A phased withdrawal sounds good to me.
 
My team leader said it best: Romans had a higher standard of living 4,000 years ago then the typical Afghani has today. We're not even talking about westernizing Afghanistan or instiling democracy; these people don't have running water, a modest highway maintenance program or regular schooling.

I was there in the early 70's and it wasn't too bad. I traveled overland from Herat to Mazari Sharif. My hotel in Kabul, which cost less than $1 a day, had shared bath with hot water showers, and not all women wore burquas. Each shop had a picture of Muhammad Ali and JFK. It was fairly pro-western, at least in Kabul. Getting rid of King Zahir and adopting communism along with a 10 year war really ****ed any chance they had.

Probably out biggest mistake was allowing a power vacuum after the Soviet defeat, but what are you going to do.
 
We should have learned our lessons...and did not. Now we pay for this ignorance.

Yes, we should get out as fast as possible, let the whole region go back to killing each other, and save the $$$ to fix our own nightmares.
 
We already did, back when we directly supported them in the fight against Russia. Funny how all of the regimes we're fighting today were people we used to throw money and equipment at.

Your history of Afghanistan is lacking. We mostly equipped the mujahideen against the Soviets. There were also Arab fighters involved including bin Laden. I think at most we supplied them with Stinger missiles and other such arms. Certainly no tanks. The Taliban (orphans of the war that studied in madrassas in Pakistan) wasn't created until after the war when there was lawlessness mostly from fractured former mujahideen in a power vacuum.
 
if you has asked me 2 weeks ago I might of suggested staying until the job was done but now I just want us to get everyone home, I say we stay with the schedule and if anyone gets in the way we let our guys do what they do best!
 
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refused to vote in the poll because it offered run like cowards or blindly stay despite the costs as options.

i dont see the yes we should leave but in a safe manner that doesnt cause us to lose accountibility of hundreds of billions of dollars of equipment,which to do it the right way takes time.

we should have learned after vietnam and iraq,we can stay there a million years and they will still kill eachother,and the only true way we could stop the fighting there would be to nuke everyone so no one could kill,ethnically cleanse,or suicide bomb for political,religious,or ethnic reasons.
 
refused to vote in the poll because it offered run like cowards or blindly stay despite the costs as options.

i dont see the yes we should leave but in a safe manner that doesnt cause us to lose accountibility of hundreds of billions of dollars of equipment,which to do it the right way takes time.

we should have learned after vietnam and iraq,we can stay there a million years and they will still kill eachother,and the only true way we could stop the fighting there would be to nuke everyone so no one could kill,ethnically cleanse,or suicide bomb for political,religious,or ethnic reasons.

I agree...I did not like the questions so I did not vote.
 
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We didn't up and abandon anything in Iraq. When we left, and the last unit left Iraq just this month, we took everything we wanted with us. Afghanistan, however, has no sea ports and we can't use Pakistan's anymore. If we "cut-n-run" by just putting people on aircraft and flying away, we would leaving behind billions in our latest technology, just parked in the motor pool waiting.

Destroy it, burn our equipment. We have done it before. Its time to quit, thats what quitters do. We need to get the hell out now. Time to quit because we never fought the war to win to begin with. Our men died in vain because politicians do not know how to win wars. Winning over the hearts and minds dosn't work, this war proves that. Total destruction, complete Annihilation demoralizes the enemy and wins wars. The few that remain alive will no longer have the will to fight. Thats how you win wars. It would have taken months instead of years. We have no business fighting wars because we do not have the guts to do what it takes to win. My grandfathers generation knew how to win. We havn't won a war since then. Vietnam Afghanistan different countries same result.
 
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Destroy it, burn our equipment. We have done it before. Its time to quit, thats what quitters do. We need to get the hell out now. Time to quit because we never fought the war to win to begin with. This is another Vietnam. Our men died in vain because politicians do not know how to win wars. Winning over the hearts and minds dosn't work, this war proves that. Total destruction, complete Annihilation demoralizes the enemy and wins wars. The few that remain alive will no longer have the will to fight. Thats how you win wars. It would have taken months instead of years. We have no business fighting wars because we do not have the guts to do what it takes to win. My grandfathers generation knew how to win. We havn't won a war since then.
But we have destroyed the enemy in Afghanistan. Al Qaeda and to a lesser degree, the Taliban was the enemy. Al Qaeda is gone and the Taliban has crawled back under the Medieval from which the came. There is nothing left for us to "win" over there. Time to get out.
 
Destroy it, burn our equipment. We have done it before. Its time to quit, thats what quitters do. We need to get the hell out now. Time to quit because we never fought the war to win to begin with. Our men died in vain because politicians do not know how to win wars. Winning over the hearts and minds dosn't work, this war proves that. Total destruction, complete Annihilation demoralizes the enemy and wins wars. The few that remain alive will no longer have the will to fight. Thats how you win wars. It would have taken months instead of years. We have no business fighting wars because we do not have the guts to do what it takes to win. My grandfathers generation knew how to win. We havn't won a war since then. Vietnam Afghanistan different countries same result.

so you advocate burning hundreds of billions of dollars of equipment?sounds kinda stupid the gear we use in iraq and afghanistan is so freakin retarded expensive,i dounbt anyone can advocate throwing it out with the deficit the way it is,oh and wed have to pay even more money to replace it when the war is over.

explain how throwing away what takes some units decades to aquire is in anyway fonancially sound.
 
But we have destroyed the enemy in Afghanistan. Al Qaeda and to a lesser degree, the Taliban was the enemy. Al Qaeda is gone and the Taliban has crawled back under the Medieval from which the came. There is nothing left for us to "win" over there. Time to get out.

Sorry sir but you are wrong. the Taliban will be back in charge as soon as we leave. They will close all of the girls schools and open the terrorist training camps, guaranteed. bin Ladens number two Ayman al Zawahiri is still alive and still in charge of al Qaeda.
 
After the most recent events in Afghanistan, is it time to cut our losses and bring the troops home?

Is it 10 years ago? Then yes.
 
Sorry sir but you are wrong. the Taliban will be back in charge as soon as we leave. They will close all of the girls schools and open the terrorist training camps, guaranteed.
That is true if we leave now or ten years from now.
bin Ladens number two Ayman al Zawahiri is still alive and still in charge of al Qaeda.
Where is he? Is that why we have 100,000 US troops in Afghanistan, to hunt for Zawahiri?
 
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