Wizard of Woodstock wrote:
On Thu, 05 Feb 2009 06:11:03 -0600, thunder
wrote:

Personally, I don't understand the resistance to Obama's 16 month
withdrawal. The Status of Forces agreement has us out of the cities by
June, and out of Iraq in 36 months. Al-Maliki states an earlier
withdrawal if OK by him. The Sunnis seemed concerned by our leaving, but
there seems to be an effort to address their issues. I mean, Iraq is
looking relatively stable, though fragile, and we can use the manpower in
Afghanistan, where things look to be going downhill.

Afghanistan will be President Obama's Vietnam.

In Afghanistan you only control what you immediately occupy. Whoever you
are you ride into town and raise hell and the towns people cower in
fear. Then when your leave town the spit at you, curse you and wait for
the next idiots to ride into town. Nobody rules Afghanistan as a whole.
The Taliban didn't have control of the entire country when they were "in
charge."