Deseret News | Given murky Afghan situation, Obama should withdraw U.S. troops

Reader comments
Eugene Robinson: Given murky Afghan situation, Obama should withdraw U.S. troops

Scott in Vegas | 12:16 a.m. Nov. 13, 2009

I agree, bring our military home!

Mike | 7:38 a.m. Nov. 13, 2009

Excellent article. This doesn't even mention however the bizarre Afghan cultural situation where people are loyal to local valley or village tribes and don't even recognize themselves as part of a larger nation. The Russians found this out the hard way and so are we. Trying to fight a traditional war there is pointless.

Bring them home | 7:53 a.m. Nov. 13, 2009

until we have a commander in chief who has the stomach for victory. We will be going back. The Taliban will take over, there will be mass executions, we will have the karmic consequences for walking away from a fight that we ultimately cannot escape. Islamic fascist will take Pakistan. India and Pakistan will go to expanded war. We will be hit by more terrorism and one day we will have to return. But by all means bring them home for now. God bless America, she has been a light unto the world, though these are dim days.

Comments continue below

Mike in Texas | 8:06 a.m. Nov. 13, 2009

Bring em home within six months! There are other ways to go after Ben Laden (if he is still alive) Since Karzi may not be legitimate, we can't prop him up. But, I do feel sorry for the women of Afganistan if the Taliban regain power.

Joe | 8:24 a.m. Nov. 13, 2009

Eugene Robinson is an exceptioanally well informed and graciously articulate writer for the Wshington post. He is exceptionally well versed as he contributes his thoughts and assessments on national TV (MSNBC). I too believe we should remove our military forces from Afghanastan and focus our attention and efforts in another direction to combat terrorism.

Gung Ho Gary | 8:46 a.m. Nov. 13, 2009

Carpet bomb the entire country with our mighty bombers, declare victory, return home. End-o-problem.

Invisible Hand | 8:48 a.m. Nov. 13, 2009

It's too bad that people will take political advantage of Obama if he does the right thing and gets the US out of Afganistan. He'll be painted as another "cut and run" Democrat. He's in a no-win situation. Escalating the war is no use. Just ask the Russians or the British.

desert rat | 8:51 a.m. Nov. 13, 2009

Lesson One from Viet Nam: Either use enough troops and a strategy that will win the war quickly or get out! I see no evidence that anyone in Washington has the guts and sense to win - so let's get out now!

Afghanistan | 9:18 a.m. Nov. 13, 2009

Afghanistan defeated the Bush administration. It would be arrogant for Obama to believe he could pull it off.

Dave | 10:04 a.m. Nov. 13, 2009

Bring the bulk of the troops home. Leave a small contingent (10,000 or so troops)in place at a location that is secure. Launch drones to watch and act if necessary when the Taliban start their nonsense.
Bring the troops home and put them on our southern border to end the drug/human smuggling. THAT is the problem that this country has, NOT the Taliban!

Republican veteran | 10:26 a.m. Nov. 13, 2009

I don't think we are making progress in Afghanistan and the government is corrupt. I agree with Mr. Robinson and the above comments. We should leave Afghanistan. I was very pro war before I spent a year in Iraq and saw the problems inherent in any war. I will ever after be more cautious about anytime we send our troops into harms way. We need clear and obtainable objectives and can't be the police force for the entire world.

Earl | 11:07 a.m. Nov. 13, 2009

@desert rat: Lesson One from Viet Nam: don't go invading other nations just because you can.

We missed the best opportunity | 11:45 a.m. Nov. 13, 2009

We missed the best opportunity to turn Afghanistan around, and that was during the initial invasion and ouster of the Taliban. We had the world behind us, and, in fact, probably would've had military support from several countries. The Taliban was greatly weakened but then we turned our focus to Iraq, allowing the Taliban to regroup and stregthen. Bush accomplished basically nothing in Afghanistan.

KM | 12:09 p.m. Nov. 13, 2009

The government in Afganistan is corrupt to the core, conversly the govt. in the U.S. is corrupt to the core. Bring the troops home!

Anonymous | 12:48 p.m. Nov. 13, 2009

Now is not the time to be weak! This is the fight we should have been engaged in all along! This problem will not go away, they (taliban, Bin-Laden, extreme terrorists) have declared war on the United States. Let's not forget that they were able to hit us on 911 because Afghanistan's Taliban gave them safe-haven. If we pull-out, we'll eventually have to go back in! These people will not just leave us alone. Hit 'em and hit 'em often and hard!

Lew Jeppson | 12:52 p.m. Nov. 13, 2009

If Obama withdraws (he should), right wing talk radio will savage him without mercy. Nevertheless the lives of thousands of young men and women take precedence. Recover the nukes and get out.

Lew you're correct. | 1:08 p.m. Nov. 13, 2009

Who was in office that did nothing while the Taliban recaptured 90% of Afghanistan? Who installed a corrupt leader as president of Afghanistan. Who blamed Carter for inflation caused during the Nixon years? Who tried to blame Clinton for Murdering Vince Foster? Who is trying to rewrite the history of the war in Kosovo, ignoring ethic cleansing and the rape of 20,000 women?

We see a history of lying. If Obama pulls our troops out there will be replying of the democrats are weak song. The American public will not approve of sending enough troops to defeat the Taliban.

troops | 3:54 p.m. Nov. 13, 2009

Why send in the troops when we have bombs enough to destroy the enemy? Oh, thats right, we only fight politically correct wars these days. If we actually fought to win, we could have done that years ago.

Anonymous | 4:04 p.m. Nov. 13, 2009

Troops... why don't we just bomb them??? Because the bombs we have are unable to differentiate between, "the enemy" and a three year old child... some of these guys are purposely hiding in civilian areas so we won’t do exactly what you suggest we do.

@Anony 4:04 | 4:27 p.m. Nov. 13, 2009

You are correct and we are more civilized. Nevertheless, the Taliban and Al Queda will likely kills some American 3 year olds again once they are able to regroup in Afghanistan to come after us. War is hell. I'm still cheering for our side.

Not yet... | 4:42 p.m. Nov. 13, 2009

I have an opinion. I will give it to you soon. I promise. And it will be a good one. And it will be correct and accurate and well-based in fact. It will be available. Soon.

RAM85 | 4:49 p.m. Nov. 13, 2009

Either, play to win or bring them home. We need to do what the commanders suggest and win this thing, or get our troops out of harms way. Obama doesn't have a clue, so leave it to those that do this for a living. The point is: Do one or the other!! The longer he waits, the more soldiers die and their blood is on his hands.

Bad guys just don't go away | 6:43 p.m. Nov. 13, 2009

How many more people would eventually die if we were to leave and grant victory and embolden the enemy? What happened last time Al Qaeda/the Taliban was given a safe haven in Afghanistan? Two commanding generals in the field (one chosen by Obama)have said we don't have enough troops to get the job done.We need to attempt to do it the right way and then leave after a set time period. (anything else would be spitting on the graves of our fallen soldiers). An ideology of world peace is nice but unfortunately history teaches that the bad guys just going to go away on their own.

RE: Bad guys | 9:58 p.m. Nov. 13, 2009

You are correct. Bad guys don't go away, but they change locations.

If Obama chooses to remain mired in Bush's Afghanistan mess, he will miss an opportunity to destroy the enemy in their new camps in Somalia.

If we side track ourselves from the fight with a policy of "nation building", we will fail.

@Re Bad guys | 8:56 a.m. Nov. 14, 2009

Somalia isn't next door to Pakistan.

Obama | 9:01 a.m. Nov. 14, 2009

in March announced a counter-insurgency plan, so the military began that offensive, that takes them further into harms way, now he, the peerless oneness is not provided the troops to carry out the plan he instigated. If he has changed the mission, then get them out of there. At least pull them back, while he ponders. Right now they are being mowed down, they are unprotected, not enough troops for counter-insurgency.

Jim | 1:55 p.m. Nov. 14, 2009

Obama has more stomach then bush ever did. He has more sense too. Afghanistan brought down and it will bring us down. It is can on be won by any one. You cant control people at the point of a gun..

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