[eater-of-toast]

[I]t is time for the US to get out while retaining armed drone sorties and some Special Forces like the “Horse Soldiers” that went in there in 2001-2. Keep any Taliban off-balance and make smoking holes where al-Qaeda leadership pops up on the landscape.

I'm with you. I'd only add that I think it's worth keeping enough US troops in Kabul to prop up a more-or-less stable government there. It'd be a crying shame to let the capital fall to the worst Islamic loonytunes after all the blood and treasure we've spent there. But that would surely take no more than a brigade; bring all the rest of our troops home. As for the rest of Afghanistan, there's no civilizing it. Just interdict terrorists in the hinterlands using drones and special forces strikes where needed. After all, history gives no example of a government in Kabul that managed to extend its writ to all Afghanistan, a fundamentally ungovernable land (I won't even call it a country).

[saeed78f]

If You call it a country or not being a super power still You n Your nation need this country. If not then why You guys are still here get the hill out of here but the fact is You do not know the facts and bloging from outside. Afghanistan and US shares common goals and to achieve those goals we both need to work together and stop the blame game. Power is achieved by being together and not bY splitting apart. And for Karzai comments it was politics and it is rarely been true so far but this does mean every one got the right to talk nuts against Karzai second who knows it might be pre decided deliberately agreed action and Reaction in order to get the job done. So be cool and be positive just because You are from US does not mean you are perfect but the fact is in today’s challenges US and Afghanistan complement each other.
There has been and always will be great partnership between US and Afghanistan no matter you and I like or dislike it. Indeed our interest does not conflict but overlaps