Hey, it's all good as long as my heroin keeps coming!
Posted by Bob In Pacifica at February 8, 2008 07:12 PMCanadians are fed up with carrying American water in the south of Afghanistan. If some other country does not pony up some cannon fodder and helos for carting stuff around pretty soon its bye bye Charlie Brown to you all. Its not up to us to find OBL or his merry band. You all had your chance and you blew it royally. Nobody here wants Kandihar. The Pashtuns can have it back for all we care. So long, bye bye.
Allies (if there are any left) and NATO should tell George Walker Bush to get f*cked, and that they will address the Iraq and Afganistan issues with the new president in 2009, when the grown-ups take over.
Posted by Judith at February 8, 2008 09:18 PMGeeee, if only Europe's media could be saturation-bombed with American right-wing AM talk radio and Republican talking-points 24/7 from Fox News, I'm certain all Europeans could be turned into complacent ConservoBots (reg. TM), willing to fall into lock-step formation behind any neo-con Republican scheme dreamt up by the ConservoBots (reg. TM) in the Bush administration.
Or maybe it's because the Europeans remember the Nazi propaganda machine and the Soviet Union's propaganda machine, with their attempts to brainwash entire populations with one-dimensional Nazi and Soviet "talking points," that has caused the Europeans to be somewhat leery and less susceptible to one-dimensional ConservoBot (reg. TM) talking points that have "worked so well" and caused so much damage in, and to, the United States.
Posted by The Oracle at February 8, 2008 11:37 PM-“Or maybe it's because the Europeans remember the Nazi propaganda machine and the Soviet Union's propaganda machine, with their attempts to brainwash entire populations with one-dimensional Nazi and Soviet "talking points,"-
Indeed, Oracle. All of what you’ve stated, and also the fact that a good number of Europeans have already seen how the wannabe (or are) dictators operate: Lots of flags; oodles of we are the best, regardless of what others may think; heaps of militaristic propaganda when needed to make the point that without power everything’s lost; a plethora of calls for patriotism—and derision towards those who don’t pledge to the brand of patriotism that the wannabe (or are) dictators sponsor, and tons of blind nationalism that renders those who follow it not only blind, but also mum, deaf, and about as stupid as the wannabe (or are) dictators like to see. No blindness for them! ;-)
PAZ
Geez, quidam, I had the impression you WEREN'T currently livin' in BushAmerica.....yet you've got it down pat.
Look, the Europeans (and Canadians) don't have enormous military forces (neither do we, really), they can see that we regard Afghanistan as a side show that will always be starved of US resources, and they are not gonna be left holding the bag of shit, trapped in a situation like the Soviets found themselves in. End of story, just like our Canadian friend posted above.
The Afghans are basically on their own, we blew their "liberation" and that water is long under the bridge---this invasion and nation building effort has failed because of Bushco incompetence, so back to the drawing board. Sorry, but that's it. You can't turn back the hands of time to when the situation once showed promise in early 2002.
The EU's error is just not being "frank" enough with the hapless Gates. BTW, does anyone have any idea what Gates is even talking about in this interview? The differences in the "two" al qaedas? What are the supposed "implications" for the Europeans?
Posted by euzoius at February 9, 2008 05:50 AMAmerica has all the military force it needs to deal with Afghanistan; the problem is that it is mis-deployed in Iraq. If we cannot properly prioritize our security issues, if we are using troops to allow a President to save face in Iraq, why should our allies bail us out?
Posted by bob h at February 9, 2008 08:02 AMEuzoius,
I'm from Spain and vote there but live in the USA, and 30-years of living under Franco’s sick regime give one a certain degree of knowledge in re to some bloody symptoms that are hard to pass by unnoticed.
For all reasons imaginable (including {but not limited to} my North American daughters and grandchildren), I wish excellent political health to the USA.
So, if not in my name (I, obviously, don’t count) in the name of my loved ones let me just say:
GO DEMS! KICK SOME ASS! AND TAKE NAMES!
P.S. I would end with my usual PAZ, but after the shouting outburst it seems a bit out of place! :-)
Peace - quídam
Posted by Seven of Six at February 9, 2008 12:11 PM