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I think Trump’s mistake was thinking Pompeo and his negotiator could get a compromise with the Taliban that the Afghan people and the American people would accept.

The issue is not a difference between a deal, ANY deal, with the Taliban or waging total war there. The issue is staying the course and wearing them down, as we did the Soviets.

By the way, I don’t think campaign promises are synonymous with doing what is right. Sometimes even politicians have to admit their estimation of things before they came into office differ from the reality they see from the perspective of being in command. I am asking if Trump is up to THAT challenge; if he is big enough to admit now that a different course from what he expected is needed. A course that is neither WWII in Afghanistan, or giving Afghanistan to the Taliban.

“The issue is staying the course and wearing them down, as we did the Soviets.”

“We” aren’t doing anything. You arent the one there doing one tour or 2 or 6 there and getting shot at for no point. You are enjoying life at home, while casually peeking in on the 18 year “course” we need to stay on.

The mission was to get Bin Laden. That was done 10 years ago.

Now you want to stay there for 10 more....to do what?

“A course that is neither WWII in Afghanistan, or giving Afghanistan to the Taliban.”

Basically Vietnam with less good reasons.

Thanks for the rational arguments, you mention time is on our side. I can't know the future but I do try and this sounds a bit in style to the axiomatic free trade good tariffs bad arguments (different context but just the standard conservative response to an issue), we conservatives had slipped into - Using the honoring the sacrifice of the fallen by staying argument I think is not valid. At a certain point if you want to get out of a hole you have to stop digging. In this case graves. Time is not on our side it on the Taliban's side. Wheres the Taliban going to go they are Afghans and a lot of Afghans like the Taliban. They are the Taliban

The people of Afghanistan have had over 20 years of American's offering to help take out the Taliban. Hey we've got the most powerful miltary ever with weapons that will blow your mind - you guys want to put a group together and kill the Taliban.

They say yes take the weapons and then don't kill themselves, weird.

Afghanistan is a shithole country - guess what happens when you jump in a shithole, well now we don't have to guess we know.

I don't see what we gain by remaining in Afghanistan another day but I am fairly ignorant on most things and what I don't know fills libraries

Once again Wuli thank you for a cogent argument in the face of a stiff head wind