[jammer]

The former Soviets might not think so. I don't want a fatalist attitude, but Americans need to define our goal(s) and know the cost of accomplishing them before we commit to something that bloody. We have to do it, IMO, but the backlash from the soccer moms will kill everything if we surprise them.

[cynicom]

Either we do it or we continue to pay a horrible price. Fortunately the final decisions will not be left up to the soccer moms or the pacifists of this country. For over two hundred years, others have paid the price so that the soccer moms and pacifists might have a free and better life, if now is the time for them to join in the bleeding and dying, so be it.

[All-American Medic]

"The former Soviets might not think so. I don't want a fatalist attitude, but Americans need to define our goal(s) and know the cost of accomplishing them before we commit to something that bloody. We have to do it, IMO, but the backlash from the soccer moms will kill everything if we surprise them..." Again I stress, the soviets were beaten for two major reasons: #1- No motivation to fight, the troops used there were mostly conscripts who had no desire to be in Afghanistan and had no motivation to fight. The US military and Special Forces in particular have had over 6,000 of their American brothers and sisters here murdered. #2-We supplied the mujhadeen, The russians were not doing badly, until we began to supply the afghani fighters with modern equipment and stinger missles. They have been cut off from the world, have nowhere to run and are about to die. Do you not think if they had the slightest confidence in Bin-Laden they would have stayed put in Kabul and thumbed their noses at us. And Saddam has not been seen in public now for almost two weeks.