We should give Afghanistan to Pakistan. The two, erstwhile allies would then be transformed into enemies, combat would shift direction and attrition would solve our dilemna. Later, when all is quiet, our oil companies can move in to build the Russian gas pipeline- the reason we are there in the first place.

I think we need to either get in and finish the job or pack up and come home. I suspect that Obama doesn't have the will to win, so lets get our troops home. The status quo isn't good for Afganistan or us.

Time to go, they don't want us there and don't trust outsiders. As much as I dislike Hilary Clinton, I applaud her outburst last week at the Pakistanis, this is their mess to clean up, we should have chased the Taliban into Pakistan 8 years ago and finished it. Next I'd love it if she went to Saudi Arabia and told them to stop looking the other way too. Why should we be the police when the arab countries in the middle east, who should be concerned about the growing extremism around them, won't react. Maybe, if they thought we wouldn't get involved, they'd take it upon themselves to deal with it. We should start withholding our aid payments, until we see some progress. Or issue letters of marque and reprisals (bounties), which is what our Constitution calls for, not sending our people into their crappy sandbox.

The "get out" vote is much higher than I anticipated. And that's my position. And I was very much a hawk when this started. But I see no advantage in keeping this going.

Howard, have you read the comments from Daniel Ellsberg about this?

No. Do you have a link?

I have been trying to find it, but don't remember where i saw it, anyway it was excerpts from an interview, here's the link for the video http://ricksanchez.blogs.cnn.com/2009/09/25/daniel-ellsberg-afghanistan-...

The Middle East has been fighting and oppressing for thousands of years. It is silly to believe that we can "finish" the job over there. For every hot spot we put out, a new flare up will arise. The fact is, they don't want us there, and we don't want to be there...let them fight their own battles. We need all the resources we can get to protect our own homeland. And for those who argue that we're fighting over there in order to keep our homeland safe... I say that they will try to attack us regardless. If it's not one group, it will be another. Long story short...We need to pick our battles here.