In every war there are two major realities. In the case of Afghanistan they are Obama's reality which he believes to be correct and the reality on the ground. Bush fell for the same dichotomy.

Let's avoid rhetoric that suggests that the Soviet Union ever had more to do with American expansionism than motivating a few bases in NATO countries.

US diplomatic efforts are well under way -- on behalf of its corporate oligarchy, of course. Pepe Escobar's recent analysis of the relative advantages of different transport lanes between oil and gas reserves and Russia, China, India, and the southern ports possibly controllable by the United States probably comes close to explaining policy as seen by the inside wonks.

Obomb is real, alright. What we need him to get is out.

PS:

"There are alternatives, far more affordable and rational, than accelerating the military option in one of the poorest and most war-torn countries on earth. The U.S. could halt its military operations, especially the hated drone attacks in the Afghan-Pakistani border areas, and help organize a peace assembly led by widely respected Afghans, both men and women leaders. The U.S. also has the ability to launch a regional diplomatic effort, including Russia, Iran, India, Pakistan, and Central Asian states."

This is absolutley wrong and patronizing. The U.S. doesn't need to "help" anybody do anything. We need to stop doing all the horrible things we are doing, get the heck out of the way, pay some pretty hefty reparations and let people who actually know something and care about humanity try to straighten out their own lives and countries.

Maybe in a few centuries, they'll be generous, forgive us and come help out our descendants who will be mired in poverty, ignorance and violence even worse than we have now.

"The American people are tired of war and sick of seeing their tax dollars go to bail out bankers and keep military contractors in the black. Afghanistan is not "the right war," it's a sinkhole for our lives and tax dollars and could be a disaster for the Obama presidency, which began with such optimism. Diplomacy, a drawdown of military involvement, and an exit strategy with a timeline -- that's the realistic path to freedom from endless war and debt. This course of action would show the values that most Americans support..."

Exactly what world do you live in?

Oregoncharles

"It's time for the president ..." to do this or that. Well, he's not going to because as one government official said to Ron Suskind:

"That's not the way the world really works anymore. We're an empire now, and when we act, we create our own reality. And while you're studying that reality -- judiciously, as you will -- we'll act again, creating other new realities, which you can study too, and that's how things will sort out. We're history's actors . . . and you, all of you, will be left to just study what we do."

So I say it's time to stop saying "It's time..." It's an annoying phrase and means nothing. Why not say something akin to, "We the People are going to burn our health insurance policies!" That'll get their attention.

This piece, like too many from the left, gives lip service to civilian casualties -- after mentioning the toll on our "heroes."

At the core of the problem is a deeply internalized culture of racial supremecy of nearly all U.S. imperial ventures (and those of Europe, Japan and China before us).

Any left/progressive analysis must be cognizant of this historical fact and include it in some way in the piece.

While I'm fully aware that U.S. casualties are used as a tactical move by the writer, i.e. -- they're the only people U.S. citizens care about -- it is just plain wrong to put them first. It reinforces the notions of racial supremecy and nationalism of whatever stripe.

the author writes:

"There's an old adage, "Show me what you spend your money on, and I will tell you your values."

ok so based on that we see that pax americana is a murderous, bloodthirsty, ignorant, hyper-military nation of psychotic and paranoid bloodsuckers with no morality, no conscience or concern for anything but themselves

the us spends more on their military (not even counting the black budgets) than the rest of the world combined

hey miss author - what does that tell you

for many years prisons have been a great growth industry - the us incarcerates more citizens than any other country in the world, largely young black boys - talk about an austere eugenics program

hey miss author - what does that tell you

the united states not only routinely tortures and kills prisoners they also pay for training schools so they can teach other countries how to do the same

hey miss author - what does that tell you

based on the author's own reckoning one can deduce that the united states is one fucked up, psychotic, diseased menace that the rest of the world has to put up with - like the insane uncle who always causes fights at family gatherings

what with the congressmen and women giving blowjobs in the men's room, having hondo whores dress them up in diapers so they can poop their pants, as does the congressman from - is it verginia - they are the perfect loonies to preside over the shit pile that is the united states

rotten to the core and proud of it

usa usa usa

There is no Bin Laden. Bin Laden is the Boogeyman, The Anti-Christ, the Loch Ness Monster, the Creature from the Black Lagoon, etc. He exists only as a prop to frighten and to manipulate, nothing more

One hundred years from now, when bin Laden is most obviously dead, the U.S. government will be saying he is alive and they're hunting him down and closing in. Any day now.

"There is no Soviet Union any longer"

There is, however, a Russia with massive energy resources and a growing relationship with Iran, China and other Asian powers.

We are in Afdghanistan to control the energy resouces of Asia.

We do not want the development of the South Pars Gas Fields in Iran - massive

We do not want the IPI pipeline from Iran through Pakistan to India.

We definitely do not want the hook-up from the IPI to China through Northern Pakistan.

We DO want the US pipeline from Central Asia to Qwadar Baluchistan - the Chinese built port on the indian Ocean.

The main problem is thousands of opium growing Afghans and religious fundamentalists along the pipeline route from Herat to Kandahar to Quetta (the taliban capital) to Guadar

Osama Bin Ladin is and was very real, but may be viewed more as a strawdog in our fight to control Afghanistan and Pakistan.

It's also interesting that the leaders of Afghanistan have ties with multinational oil companies and pipelines.

The real story of Afghanistan is just beginning to emerge.
Don't be fooled by MSM and politicians who want us to think otherwise.

The growing unrest is due to sabotage by right wing nut scumbag agents. Stalin called them wreckers. Just because Stalin said it doesn't mean it's not correct.

Obama makes good speeches but has no real clout. Afghanistan just a trade. (The war in Iraq for a war in Afghanistan) It is driven by the same war profiteers as Iraq. The same exploitation of resources is there. He agreed to ramp things up there in a tradeoff for Iraq so he could get votes. Obama isn't even able to close Guantanamo because he can't get support from his own party. If anything at all could be said of Republicans, it's that at LEAST they supported their own party agenda, demented and sad as it may be.

There is no Bin Laden. Bin Laden is the Boogeyman, The Anti-Christ, the Loch Ness Monster, the Creature from the Black Lagoon, etc. He exists only as a prop to frighten and to manipulate, nothing more. His 'cave' is likely to be lavishly furnished and MUCH closer to the USA than you think. The 'war' in Afghanistan is just a witch hunt smokescreen.

How many more thousands of troops have to die? How many more orphans and widows will we make? We kill them faster than they can bury their dead, burn their cities, exploit their resources and impoverish them to the point where they're living in disease infested slums. Then we kick our way through the debris and filth, slap them on the back, and say "Cheer up! You're free! We killed the bad guy!" Later we stand around mule-faced and ask each other "Why do they hate us?"

"Words must mean something." Obama to the people of the Czech Republic, April 4/5, 2009.

"We will defeat you." - Obama on Afghanistan/Pakistan - Taliban/alleged Terrorist, etcetera.

But what you have meant, father of darling little girls who you love and protect so much, is killing, maiming, burning the skin off other people's children, and the mothers and fathers and grandfathers, brides and grooms, simple village people ... Ah, 14 to 18 suspected terrorist killed, but ... hide the number 700 who were innocent civilians killed, with far more than 50 per cent children.

And I sense that you, Mr. Obama, with your "cool" have such little awareness when I and others thought you had a lot ... because you would be ashamed, very ashamed, and it would show and you would do it differently, and your rhetoric would change so your words and then your actions did MEAN SOMETHING. ...

And then there's the same "cool" manifestation, as you dance around with Israel's Zionist leaders as they continue to commit genocide on the Palestinian's in Gaza.

I am so ashamed as a United States citizen that we have become monstrous in what we do to others and conduct all this mayhem so righteously, pointing fingers and blaming everyone else, when it is our policies and our rabidly hungry and devouring capitalistic system run by Bankers and Oligarchs that is destroying everything that is good and beautiful and possible.

And please, no one who lives in the woodwork, come out and say well, LOVE IT OR LEAVE IT.

I don't leave it because I still love our Nation's promise, and one does not abandon the mentally ill and the physically sick and dying. One does one's best to help wherever one can.

Oh, for the days of yore when Working toward WORLD PEACE were the buzz words and the major idea and vision of the time.

We have to get back to that, lest we perish.

/cm

Bric-a-Brac Obysmal has gotten real on Afghanistan. He said, "We will defeat you" and he meant it. We're going to be there a long, long time. Those of you who did not live through endless and bloody Vietnam War are about to find out what it was like.

In a background of restlessness that has always existed around the world, there seems to be growing unrest that can be felt even in the US. This is largely because governments (especially the US government) work to meet the needs of corporations and not people. Obama's policy in Afghanistan is just a continuation of this process.

"Europe is economically powerful and peaceful"

It may look that way at a glance but one of my former professors who lives in Europe has a different account. She told me that there is currently a brewing fight between moving Europe towards being more capitalistic and moving Europe towards being more socialistic. So far, there have been rightwing victories creeping up. She loves the public transportation but fears that if the Europeans economy collapses since it is currently unsteady that more people will find themselves forced to drive because PT would be privatized and hence cost-prohibitive. Another pattern she noticed was that the more towards socialism a nation moves, the more hidden unrest there is whereas the more towards capitalism a nation moves, the more obvious unrest there is. When someone says Europe is more peaceful, there needs to be clarity and details on that claim.