since OBL is dead, our mission in Afghanistan is over

[OutHouse]

our primary mission when we went into Afghanistan was to get OBL. now i hear politicians talking about our mission is not over because its a tribal government and we have to stay to correct that so that there is a central government....

WTF WTF WTF!!!

enough is enough. bring out troops home now. our mission is OVER! it is not our place, business or job to build a government in Afghanistan.

 

[dank69]

If we want access to their rare earth materials, it is.

 

[Jaskalas]

Have you heard OBL mentioned at all, in regards to Obama's Afghanistan surge?

It's about nation building. Guess what? That mission NEVER ends.

 

[a777pilot]

I agree. It's time to get out of Afghanistan and concentrate of Iraq and Pakistan. Iran remains the center of gravity of the latest muslim war.

...but I've been saying that since the US National Command structure failed to support the attack on Tora Bora.

 

[Nebor]

If we want access to their rare earth materials, it is.

Uh, we're not going to get that. Just like we didn't get the oil contracts in Iraq. The Chinese have obtained virtually every mineral lease in Afghanistan, and considering their infrastructure investment in building a superhighway from China down into Afghanistan, I think it's a safe bet to say they're planning on getting the trillion dollar jackpot for pennies on the dollar.

 

[SlickSnake]

So, you must think he's conveniently dead after months of effort training to capture him alive, now do you?

We clearly need to start a new term, and let me be the first to present it to you.

OSAMA DEATHER : Someone who believes the Osama Bin Laden death is a hoax and cannot be proven even with photos because photos can be easily manipulated and altered.

http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2162496

 

[jackstar7]

I thought crushing the Taliban was part of our reason for hitting Afghanistan due to the ties to 9/11, then responsibly try and set up a regime that won't lead to future attacks being spawned from their land.

If you thought the scope of the mission was just OBL... how do you reconcile 10 years and billions of dollars to kill one man?

 

[Texashiker]

Our mission in Afghanistan is not complete until Halliburton is granted the contract to rebuild the country.

And since we have bombed / destroyed very little in the way of cities, our mission is just starting.

 

[Nemesis 1]

If we want access to their rare earth materials, it is.

Truth in the light of darkness.

 

[Nemesis 1]

Uh, we're not going to get that. Just like we didn't get the oil contracts in Iraq. The Chinese have obtained virtually every mineral lease in Afghanistan, and considering their infrastructure investment in building a superhighway from China down into Afghanistan, I think it's a safe bet to say they're planning on getting the trillion dollar jackpot for pennies on the dollar.

Ya think. I am betting GERMANY won't stand for that

 

[Zebo]

LOLZ Osama was just a personification of larger issue, a war without end, a war that never stopped if you know history, a war that will continue indefinitely. They were mollified in tents while rest of the world east and west went though industrial revolution but with accident of geology (oil) have the means to continue jihad.

There are millions of wannabe martyrs out there and some will make it through killing Osama doesn't change that.

 

[KeithP]

I agree. It's time to get out of Afghanistan and concentrate of Iraq and Pakistan.

It would be pointless to concentrate on Iraq and Pakistan without stabilizing Afghanistan.

-KeithP

 

[Infohawk]

I still contend we should keep several well defended bases / air fields from which we can carry out UAV and special operation attacks on the Taliban and other extremists. There's no point worrying about rebuilding Afghanistan. The goal should be to keep them suppressed and hiding in caves.

 

[Londo_Jowo]

since OBL is dead, our mission in Afghanistan is over

Agreed, bring our troops home now.

 

[woolfe9999]

our primary mission when we went into Afghanistan was to get OBL. now i hear politicians talking about our mission is not over because its a tribal government and we have to stay to correct that so that there is a central government....

WTF WTF WTF!!!

enough is enough. bring out troops home now. our mission is OVER! it is not our place, business or job to build a government in Afghanistan.

This is a good article making pretty much the same point:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42879948/ns/politics/

It discusses the history of defense spending, how it skyrocketed under Reagan during the cold war, declined sharply under Clinton after the cold war ended, and discusses how we will likely not see that kind of shift this time around although justifiably we should. The author wonders if the killing of OBL gives us the opportunity to pull up stakes and save face, along with $100b per year.

 

[Nebor]

Ya think. I am betting GERMANY won't stand for that

What's Germany going to do about it? Afghanistan is a sovereign nation and their corrupt government will continue to take personal bribes in exchange for selling Afghanistan's resources to China at cut-rate prices.

This isn't news

 

[sportage]

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( we need Facebook like responses here on posts. No comment, just "Like" or "Dislike" or "comment". Might save a lot of cyber paper.