We can't afford a long war in Afghanistan. We can't afford to keep destroying and rebuilding countries like Iraq or Afghanistan.

It is beyond weird on how before we got into the quagmire called Afghanistan that it was pretty much understood the part that Soviet involvement in Afghanistan played in weaking the Soviet Empire. Now, you don't hear people talking about it.

Our military needs to be brought home. Military pay needs to be churning in our own economy. The extent of our military involvement in Afghanistan needs to be limited to making damn sure that what happens in Afghanistan stays in Afghanistan. In other words, make damned sure that no terrorist is able to exit Afghanistan.

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Gates told the Senate Armed Services Committee that the Pentagon could send two more brigades by late spring and a third brigade by late summer to try to salvage a country besieged by corruption and increasing violence.

Gates said civilian casualties from U.S. air attacks are "doing us enormous harm" in the fight for hearts and minds.

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Hearts and minds. Since when the fucking hell is fighting a war about fighting for the hearts and minds of the enemy. And let us understand. If they don't like us, they are our enemy and they should be treated as such.

Afghanistan needs to be isolated from the world. The people there would be better off and we sure as hell would be better off.

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