Posted on 04/01/2009 1:42:59 PM PDT by fiodora
Anyone who didn't believe that Obama's liberal idiocy on foreign policy wouldn't have real world consequences, I present exhibit "A" - the Taliban responding to the Administration's offer for "honorable reconciliation:"
Taliban insurgents reject a U.S. offer of "honorable reconciliation," a top spokesman said on Wednesday, calling it a "lunatic idea" and saying the only way to end the war was to withdraw foreign troops.
With the Afghan conflict now in its eighth year, NATO-led forces and the Taliban are locked in a bloody stalemate with violence set to rise further this year as more U.S. troops arrive and seek to contain the insurgency ahead of August elections.
President Barack Obama is redoubling U.S. efforts with more troops, more diplomatic effort and more economic assistance, but he has also already spoken of the need for an "exit strategy."
If the U.S. plan fails to show results, analysts say, time is on the Taliban side.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told an international conference on Afghanistan on Tuesday that those members of the Taliban who abandoned extremism must be granted an "honorable form of reconciliation."
"This matter was also raised in the past," said Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid, referring to comments last month by Obama, who spoke of reaching out to moderate Taliban.
"They have to go and find the moderate Taliban, their leader and speak to them. This is a lunatic idea," Mujahid said by telephone from an unknown location.
Like the North Vietnamese in the 1970's, the Taliban have taken the mettle of their opponent and found it wanting. They know all they have to do to win is wait for Obama to grow tired of the effort and pull US troops from the conflict. NATO will almost certainly follow suit which would leave the Afghans at the Taliban's mercy. The country would fall into their lap like a ripe plum.
To have this neophyte in charge of American foreign policy is a tragedy. The question we will be asking soon is how much damage this rookie can cause before America wises up and tosses he and his gaffe prone team.
Well, the moderate ones do.
At least with President Biggety at the helm, we won’t have to listen to any BS about a war-weary US looking for any excuse to bail.
Everything will be going great, Taliban and AQ on the run, mood of the troops couldn’t get any better and so on. Plenty of good press about the wonderful work our troops are doing in that benighted country.
You know, all the stuff that’s been happening since ‘01 but couldn’t be reported...
I believe they are correct. As Bush's quagmire in Iraq will proof to be a success, but Obama's quagmire in Afghanistan will likely be a loss with Obama calling the shots.
Give the Taliban credit, they do have obozo on the run.
Taliban believes they have Obama on the run
Which of course they do.
Obama has norealworldreallife experience dealing with anyone like the Taliban and most of the noodle heads he has in his Admin are libeal college morons.
They are probably right.
I'm sure Gen. Petraeus et al are looking into it ... but it seems that nothing effective can be done there until the Taliban's draw is understood and countered.
Set it to the music of the WINGS big hit ‘Band On The Run’.
Now that America has succumbed to media driven terrorist water torture on the American people, the real worldwide water toruture is coming across the board into its “Americanless” “glory”.
A drought in justice is going to be the real global warming: everytime we had military budget cuts the rest of the world’s military budgets rose multiple times, with some even of the brightest minds out there stuck with their own government.
Way to go Obamanoids, the gates of hell have been opened. Stupid US Unions and liberals are going to be the weak elements to suffer the most like dum struck dogs.
It all goes back to the old lady telling me not to smack my pit bull: “but she’s a puppy!” she exclaimed as all retards do. To which I proceeded to have her care for the dog’s leash, only to see the dog dragging her out the road traffic to her near death. Hopefuly “seniorizing” is going to figuh better than that twit.
He most certainly does...

...difference is, this time the bombs are pointed in the wrong direction.
Well, put yourself in their sandals. Imagine you live in a culture that has been repelling foreigners since the time of Alexander the Great. Imagine that the culture has valued highly the killing of both foreign invaders and rival tribes since pre-Islamic times. Imagine that you really believe that there is only one God and that Mohammad is his Prophet. Imagine that you really believe that everything in the Koran is literally true but, since you are illiterate, you believe what your religious leaders tell you. Imagine that they tell you that these foreign invaders are infidels (because they are indeed infidels) and that they threaten the cultural and religious traditions of your people (because they do indeed propose to overturn many cultural and religious traditions.) Your culture is prudish and the invader represents Hollywood's pornography; your culture is sober and the invader pushes alcohol and drugs; your culture severely constrains public behavior and the invader promotes freedom and allows public licentiousness; your culture is chauvinistic and the invader insists on the equality of the sexes: you wish to stay in the 10th Century and the invader wants to pull you into the 21st Century. Also, your culture is hierarchical but fiercely independent from outside influences, but the invader wishes to impose his superiority. Finally, and most importantly, imagine that life is cheap ... that the combination of poverty, culture, and religious faith is such that a person does not much care whether he (or others) lives or dies.
Nation-building is a futile exercise in such a culture. Obama is unlikely to accomplish less in Afghanistan that Bush did in Iraq. I wish both Gen. Petraeus and the Afghan people well, but don't hold much hope.
Well, put yourself in their sandals. Imagine you live in a culture that has been repelling foreigners since the time of Alexander the Great. Imagine that the culture has valued highly the killing of both foreign invaders and rival tribes since pre-Islamic times. Imagine that you really believe that there is only one God and that Mohammad is his Prophet. Imagine that you really believe that everything in the Koran is literally true but, since you are illiterate, you believe what your religious leaders tell you. Imagine that they tell you that these foreign invaders are infidels (because they are indeed infidels) and that they threaten the cultural and religious traditions of your people (because they do indeed propose to overturn many cultural and religious traditions.) Your culture is prudish and the invader represents Hollywood's pornography; your culture is sober and the invader pushes alcohol and drugs; your culture severely constrains public behavior and the invader promotes freedom and allows public licentiousness; your culture is chauvinistic and the invader insists on the equality of the sexes: you wish to stay in the 10th Century and the invader wants to pull you into the 21st Century. Also, your culture is hierarchical but fiercely independent from outside influences, but the invader wishes to impose his superiority. Finally, and most importantly, imagine that life is cheap ... that the combination of poverty, culture, and religious faith is such that a person does not much care whether he (or others) lives or dies.
Nation-building is a futile exercise in such a culture. Obama is unlikely to accomplish less in Afghanistan that Bush did in Iraq. I wish both Gen. Petraeus and the Afghan people well, but don't hold much hope.
Day 0! Day ay ay 0!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.