Afghanistan

Kevin Drum wonders about our role in Afghanistan after Juan Cole says we should get out. Juan Cole is right. Afghanistan is unwinnable. The Soviets tried and the Soviets no longer exist. They were closer, had more friends in the region, and better intelligence inside the country and it still took them down. It will do the same to us. Osama said he would take down the Soviet Union, and he succeeded. He's also said he will take down the U.S. If we stay in Afghanistan, he will succeed at that too, particularly now that we've destroyed our armed forces by getting bogged down in Iraq. We have no idea what we're doing in Afghanistan, and every time we do something, we further alienate the populace by killing innocent civilians.

Frankly, I've always believed that, though there was a better argument for attacking Afghanistan than Iraq, it was a mistake from the beginning.

What we should do instead is focus on disrupting Osama and al Qaeda as much as we can. Getting bogged down in Afghanistan while they're enjoying all the comforts of home in Pakistan is not the answer.