Comments on: Aussie Combat Troops Home From Iraq

Woman Suicide Bomber Kills 15 In Diyala Province; Top Shiite Opposes U.S. Bases

[ubrew12]

ausus said: "Don''t you agree that the Taliban had some nasty habits, eg amputation or death for those that opposed their regime"
YEs. They were about as bad as the Saudi regime that currently own Saudi Arabia and does all you just mentioned. Funny though. THOSE guys are our best buds.

I don''t want the see the Taliban back in Afghanistan. I just don''t think its our beef, let the Afghans settle it themselves. For some reason a substantial fraction LIKE what the Taliban represent (probably MORE because they are anti-NATO than for any other reason). Build the pipeline, work to keep Pakistan as an ally. No one can long ignore the U.S., including the Afghans. But, impose our own regime against the locals? When has that EVER worked?

[ausus-2009]

ubrew12,
Don''t you agree that the Taliban had some nasty habits, eg amputation or death for those that opposed their regime, the treatment of women as cattle, the blowing up of symbols of other religions, helping Osama, training people to go overseas and blow up those who do not toe their narrow Islamist line, etc.

[ubrew12]

ausus said: "I take it you are an apologist for the Taliban "

The Taliban are a grass-roots Islamic movement in Afghanistan that is deeply popular. They aren''t a cabal or a Saddam-like dictator that can be taken out and forgotten. I have enough respect for democracy, popular movements, and the right to self-determination for Americans as well as other people, to respect what the Taliban represent to the AFGHANS, which at the end of the day are the only people who''s opinions MATTER on the Taliban.

If we keep this ''imposition of will'' on the Taliban, we may end up losing not only Afghanistan but also Pakistan. Ironically, the last American president to understand the value of popular independence movements against foreign aggression was Jimmy Carter, who used the precursors to the Taliban to embroil the Soviets invaders of Afghanistan in their own private Vietnam (and thereby hastening the end of the Soviet Union far more than Reagan ever did). And What did the Soviets want from Afghanistan? (ownership of the VERY same pipeline we''re now claiming ownership over). In the end, either the Afghans will own that pipeline, or no-one will own it. That''s not a threat. That''s an historical observation of the power of locals over the self-determination of their own lands and cultures.

[ausus-2009]

ubrew12,

I take it then you are an apologist for the Taliban and think that they were wonderful democratic people who respected women''s rights, the rights of others to religious freedom and were just providing hotel space for Osama.

[ubrew12]

ausus said: "To ascribe Australia''s motives in Afghanistan as being about oil is both cynical and ignorant. "
Well, I''ll leave the ignorance to you, if you think I was talking about SAUDI oil having to pass through Afghanistan instead of Iran. Take a look at YOUR atlas: Central Asia is south of Siberia. Not that it matters to you: the Aussies get their oil from Indonesia. The Aussie ''good guys'' are at the international forefront in wave energy technology (which generates usable power in waves down to 2ft, but has already survived 100 year storms and waves up to 100ft along the Southern coast). The Aussie ''sheep'' followed their American owners into Afghanistan to impose an oil pipeline from central asia to the Pakistani coastline that''s owned by the Americans (rather than the Argentinian consortium the Taliban preferred, and for which they were executed). But, don''t worry, the American right will remember your contribution (by moving there once they are kicked out of America).

[ausus-2009]

ubrew12,

"Newsflash: The liberals own their government. You can run, but you cant hide."

Just another example of your ignorance. The Labor Party has the Australian Federal Government and every State and territory government. The only major place where the Liberal Party is in power is the city of Brisbane, but not the State of Queensland where it is housed.

[ausus-2009]

ubrew12,

Of course the Taliban was tied to 9/11. They housed Osama and his terrorist training camps.

Obviously you have no understanding of oll. Australians pay nearly twice as much for gasoline as Americans, hardly cheap oil. Oil is transported by ship and not by pipeline to Australia. It is an island continent.

Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iraq and the UAE are not landlocked. If you had a proper look at your map the area of land between these countries and Afghanistan is called Iran.

To ascribe Australia''s motives in Afghanistan as being about oil is both cynical and ignorant.

[patriot12436]

cdfoxtrot
Your comment is about the same as military intelligence, the two do not go togetther.

[patriot12436]

As much as i usually disagree with feelfree4u, i have to say i agree 100% about Iraq. I wish our leaders were as smart as the countries who have brought their troops home. The Aussies are not running with their tails between their legs, they just applied common sense.

[rheola-2009]

Even the war-mongering Brits want out.


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Posted by cdfoxtrot at 05:42 PM : Jun 22, 2008


If you are an American, is the above statement not a perfect example of the pot calling the kettle black?
Particuarly over the last 8 years of G.O.P. rule.