[exPBRrat]

I was against Pres Bush going on the ground there too. Hey if the Russians with all their brutality couldn’t subdue them what chance do we?

[silverleaf]

Bush let himself be talked into a much broader and amorphous mission in Afghanistan and Iraq…. to change the “ conditions” of societies in failed nation states that led to “ hopelessness” and rage that led to terrorism. To try and rebuild them using Western ideals and institutions as models.

While the western-educated native elites there were sold on that….they really are not much of a societal force outside of their elite circles and institutions in large urban centers,

Had Bush just gone in and cleaned out the terrorist networks and jnfrastructures, then left, we'd have had a nice big parade …and kept the powder dry for repeat action as necessary. But the depth of the rot that erupted on 9-11…well, they could never even be honest with us about it, because it might embarrass some “ allies’ ( Saudi .,,cough cough)