Comments on: U.S. May Rethink Talking To Taliban

U.S., NATO May Negotiate With Moderate Taliban Leaders As Afghan Situation Worsens

[jjp735i]

"Defense Secretary Robert Gates and the incoming head of U.S. Central Command, have endorsed efforts to reach out to members of the Taliban"

Did anyone tell McBush? You know McBush will deny Gates ever said any such thing.

[sandy19731]

"You''''ve got to set things up. You''''ve got to know who you''''re talking to. You''''ve got to have your objectives straight,"

Well now we know. Those are the PRECONDITIONS. Does anyone really think that Obama wouldn''t have those two things in place before talking to our enemies?
If so, quite watching Rush and turn on some real news.

[fixhist]

Let us back track a bit to October 2001.
Taliban Govt in Afghanistan denounced any direct hand or involvement with 911.
For Alqaeda''s alleged role in 911 they asked for proof of linking 911 with the Arabs living in Afghanistan, Initially Taleban''s refused to handover OBL or any other Arabs living in Afghanistan, subsequently they agreed to cooperate in producing Alqaeda members.
Taleban''s had disputed over royalty from Gas pipe line project, Just days before 911 their delegates were being treated with respect in USA,Then came Brits push to demonize Taliban and Murdoch media went on to pore anti Taliban propaganda on 24x7 basis.
Taliban didn''t damage Bamian religious relics, some fanatics were keen to do it, No body helped or supported Taliban so that they could negociate with fanatics to stop destruction of Budha statues. It is a known fact that Taliban Govt was against damage to Bamian relics.
In certain incidences Taliban did oppose western education for Girls in Afghanistan, it doesn''t mean that Talibans closed down all girls schools in Afghanistan.

[fixhist]

Yes! Afghanistan was devastated, she was in big mess and stood in ruins, world powers and interest groups didn''t release the development funds to restore the destruction from the USSR invasion and subsequent retreat. The main objection at that time on holding UN & International development aid was alleged drug trade & safty of NGOs.
7 Years after the October 2001 attack and invasion of Afghanistan, There is no security in Afghanistan,there is not much of development, there is no peace, and off course development funds released so for Afghanistan have not reached 10% yet, needles to say over head expenditures & lobbying eat away over 70% of the Afghan development fund.

In terms of WAR on Terror, West has done more damage to hearts and minds of people.

[omnibus66]

OMG, have they cleared this with McSame? We musn''t ever, ever, ever, ever, never talk or discuss anything with anyone we disagree about over anything, period.

Always go with your gut, never plan anything, surround yourself with incompetent people, cover up criminal behavior with lies, and direct all political campaigns towards those with IQ''s lower than 80.

Now that''s a recipe for success.

[rona0899]

I SAY WE DIDN"T USE BIG ENOUGH BOMBS SO START DROPPING THE MOABS ON THESE IDIOTS.WHE THEY GET TIRED OF BOMBS DROPPING THEY WILL GET IN TOUCH WITH US.mAYBE WE SHOULD SUSPEND THE GENEVA CONVENTION ON SMALL NUKES AND LEVEL THOSE MOUNTAINS OFF FLAT????

[tucson23]

Can you imagine what would happen if one of the candidates for president announced that he would open talks with the Taliban? Conservatives would froth at the mouth in their anger. But if Bush or someone in the military says it, well, "they''re a hero and we should listen to them." Must be fun to live in a black-and-white world, where you don''t need any fancy thinking or edumacation to know what''s right and wrong.

[mesowarp]

Sooo, let'' see. The latest liberal "good idea" is that we can negotiate... find some common ground with people whose avowed, non-negotiable starting position is that they want to kill us all and wipe our way of life off the face of the earth.
Let''s try to remember that these are people who believe that dying for their cause (see above) guarantees them entrance to paradise. Who make their point by cutting the throats of western journalists while chanting to their god. Who strap bombs to women and the mentally impaired to accomplish their ends. Negotiate? Perhaps you could conjure up the ghost of Neville Chamberlain and get some pointers on how to handle things...

[missingamerica]

O BOY WHAT WILL MCCAIN SAY ABOUT THIS ONE.

Posted by tannerbird at 06:56 AM : Oct 09, 2008

He won''t. He will have Palin say it for him.

[tannerbird]

O BOY WHAT WILL MCCAIN SAY ABOUT THIS ONE.

[simplemind2]

One correction - US supported "Freedom-Fighters" - a.k.a the Taliban - got rid of RUSSIA.

[simplemind2]

Headline read - "U.S. May Rethink Talking To Taliban".

Why not - since GWB/Cheney/McCain realized that the fight in Afghanistan cannot be won - i.e. no "VICTORY" can be achieved before the November election - thus BEGGING with the Taliban for "PEACE" instead of ending like RUSSIA DEFEATED- remember that one?
History told us - "Yesterday''s enemy is tomorrow''s friend; Yesterday''s friend could be future enemy".
US supported "Freedom-Fighters" - a.k.a the Taliban - got read of RUSSIA.
In pursuit of OBL, US went after the "Freedom-Fighters".
Just like GWB/Cheney/McCain have done in Iraq - spending 3,000,000,000 PER WEEK US tax-payers hard-earned money there to BEG with the Sunni Insurgents for "PEACE".
Sorry - did I just offended some War-Loving die-hard Bushit supporters that guys like you don''t like to hear "BEGGING with enemy for PEACE"?
Just Pay them - whether the Taliban or the Sunni Insurgents - more US tax-payers hard-earned money, quicker the OBJECTIVE - "BEGGING with enemy for PEACE" can be achieved.
Both Afghanistan''s and Iraq''s VICTORY is within reach - In the meantime, who cares about the US economy tanked?
We Won - with Ms. Governor Palin''s seductive WINK WINK!
Go ahead - vote for GWB/Cheney/McCain and start Bushit''s Third term.
LOL!

[woodjd42]

egresor
bong son/among others 1967-68

Who were you with? I was at LZ Dog then with 227th 1st Cav.

[shoebox119]

Wait a minute... what happened to the Bush doctrine that says, "We do not and will NEVER negotiate with terrorists?"

And John McCain wants to know if there will be any "preconditions."

[r9119111]

"I do think you have to talk to enemies," Petraeus said Wednesday at an appearance at the Heritage Foundation in Washington, when asked about potential dialogue with the Taliban.

"You''ve got to set things up. You''ve got to know who you''re talking to. You''ve got to have your objectives straight," he said. "But I mean, what we did do in Iraq ultimately was sit down with some of those that were shooting at us. What we tried to do was identify those who might be reconcilable."

-Petraeus


Thank you. Finally, a more adult approach.

Help stamp out childishness. Vote for adults.

[resurection9]

Yeah stuff like that is why he picked up the nickname, "General Betray-us". If they wanted to settle things without conflict. They should have shown an urge to do so when we droped the first 500,000 tons of exsplosives.Why make an attempt at diplomacy now? Thats like sticking your tounge to a flag pole in -35 degree wheather.You know it''s cold enough to freeze water.Yet your dumb enough to touch your tounge to it anyways.

[brianbwb-2009]

"Right - so now we raise the white flag. Unbelievable." Posted by irishmurph2

It''s called "knowing when to fold ''em."

"Meanwhile our young empire is crumbling under the greed of a Republican economy...so what do we do? Give Afghanistan back to the Taliban?" Posted by irishmurph2

Seeing as how they did not attack us, we were stupid to mess with the ones who did the ground fighting that defeated their neighbor, the USSR. No matter when we leave, they will take it again, so even more then "knowing when to fold ''em", we shouldn''t have bought in in the first place"

I thought we had at one point been very, very close to winning this original "war on terro." And the shame of losing our finest including Pat Tillman.

No where near it, because it was a lie from the start, how do you win a lie?

"Also while all eyes are focused on losing our houses, Rice is in India making Nuke deals ,,, so they can build their own bomb." Posted by irishmurph2

Way late, dude, India has had nuclear weapons for the past fifteen years or more.

"What else is going on under the radar, while they''''ve diverted our attention?" Posted by irishmurph2

Nothing special, just the downfall of America.

[egresor]

we need to understand the differences and base our decision on the facts, not shallow or inaccurate comparisons.

Posted by rhs648
====
a comparison to vietnam is not out of line

it is similar in many ways

first

nefarious means were used to get us into each

they were/are not winnable

and you''re right....all the vietnamese were interested in was getting their own country back to themselves. like the US would feel/be in resisting occupationaal forces.
(the french and then the americans)

2nd

in both cases we look for an exit strategy....because everyone knows that (like the general said) it cannot be done militarily. the corrupt vietnamese sham government we established could not win over the vietnamese people (hearts and minds) and at the end we were hurting them just like we hurt the iraqi people. we bomb their towns and kill their people all in the name of trying to bring peace and democracy to them (it''s not about the oil at all you know). people hate us for killing their families and destroying the villages. can you blame them?

the muslim terrorists you speak of in iraq were made by US. and that deceitful invasions percipitated everything happening.

so the comparison is not all that far off my friend. btw i''m a viet vet-- bong son/among others 1967-68 and so have knowledge of what was going on incountry.

if you don''t fan/stoke a fire it dies out.

[irishmurph2]

bomb, bomb, bomb iraq? kiss, kiss, kiss the Taliban?

[irishmurph2]

Right - so now we raise the white flag. Unbelievable. Meanwhile our young empire is crumbling under the greed of a Republican economy...so what do we do? Give Afghanistan back to the Taliban? I thought we had at one point been very, very close to winning this original "war on terro." And the shame of losing our finest including Pat Tillman. Also while all eyes are focused on losing our houses, Rice is in India making Nuke deals ,,, so they can build their own bomb. What else is going on under the radar, while they''ve diverted our attention?