Sunk cost. America gained nothing for those 20 years of blood and treasure, explicitly evidenced by their reversion before we could even leave.
Neocon fantasy of nation building was always a fantasy.
We lost the "War on Terror" because we ended up where it all started -- with the Taliban in full control of Afghanistan.
The Taliban didn't start the 'war on terror', that started because religious fanatics didn't like the presence of U.S. troops in Saudi Arabia. The neocon foreign policy of making Saudi Arabia an imperial outpost by backing a corrupt monarchy provoked the attacks on the U.S.
For over three decades, at every turn the neocons have gotten the U.S. involved in wars that have nothing to do with improving our security.
For over three decades, at every turn the neocons have gotten the U.S. involved in wars that have nothing to do with improving our security.????????
Not without the support of the neo-coms.
No extended war was ever possible without the democrats approval.
Tommy daschle, Senate majority leader, had a democrat only vote to go to war in Iraq.
The democrats voted overwhemingly to go to war.
Maybe you forget that bill clinton gave a ton of foreign aid to the Taliban?