Fuel costs $400 a gallon to get it and use it in country. Might be cheaper in the long run.

True, but I'd figure that would be the LAST option on the table, wouldn't it seem like we just did all the fighting for nothing ? I mean where is the honor in that ? Then everyone else will smell pussy (excuse my french) and think they can try us and get paid once the fighting stretches out too long.

But Shans - what do you suppose we gain if we win in Afghanistan? Seriously. And at what cost?

Even if every single Afghan starts watching the Superbowl, even if they all pray at the altar of MickeyD and the quarter pounder, even if they break out in tears at the sight of Old Glory - what have we gained?

Conversely, if we continue to spend ourselves into oblivion such that the dollar ceases to be the global reserve currency and we find ourselves reduced to an economic weakling - what price have we paid?

I joined the Army thinking that I was fighting the good fight and now sometimes I feel that we are being intertwined into all of this political B.S. ! I just don't know how I should feel about this anymore...I am so confused.

War is a mere continuation of politics by other means. Carl von Clausewitz.

I have heard it said that logistics is an important factor. Perhaps the national economy is the foundation of logistics. I suspect that foundation has been badly abused, hence the logistical tail may endanger the strategic and tactical teeth.

MOO, YMMV.

One should not believe everything one thinks.

Richard's $.02 :munchin

Look to your right and left...focus on the job and why you joined...keep your head up and ignore civilians who want to discuss politics with soldiers. Hooah?

Well maybe it is just the current Admin is looking at a way to buy into the next election.

Yes Election.

Something along these lines.

You start with $500,000 to go to the people. How much is going to the GIRoA. Now we pay off the local TB to get their guns to stop shooting at US military and ISAF. This is basicly the same thing the British did in the Helland and what did that do. Where are we fight heaviest at now??

Okay so we pay the TB off and they do stop fighting to some degree. The US Military disarms the TB. Then DoS and DoD work out some great fine details to have the shadow TB Govt to become a legitinate party within the GIRoA. President Hamid Karzai does have a Marshal Mohammad Qasim Fahim is what?? A former "druglord".

Like to see how this happens or works out.

You must have been reading my mind..I thought the Brits would just demilitarize any region where they were getting spanked in ? Anyway, I hope we can make some sort of legitimate govt there. Maybe if we dropped a Wal-Mart there if it would distract the TB for awhile ? LOL

My question about long term peace in Afghanistan is primarily "How do we ensure a successful, stable government in a country in which half the GNP is based on cultivation of opium poppy?"

If we begin dealing more formally with the Taliban will we have to overlook crops to a greater extent than we do now?

It seems a huge Catch-22.

Maybe we could use their opium to make morphine and harvest the marijuana for medicinal uses, I think that could work if organized properly. *shrug*

I didn't cover how I feel this plays into a election or election year.

Obama and the DEMS can use any success plays into their has. We go in Paying off the TB. $500,000 turns into $1,000,000 and pulling funds from Military and not PRT funds, ETC.

So we pay off the TB and tell them their Shadow Gov't base will become a legal Gov't party within Afghanistan. They pay into the hands to be. Then where do we go. Obama Admin is who realy care. We work our way out of a job as we did in Iraq and success will fall into the right hands of Aghanistan.

Maybe a long shot in the dark. But looking back and seeing what Brits did with teh Helland. Can we do any better. PAy off asnd deals do what. Did we make deals with Drug lords of the South? No so way are we doing it in Afghanistan? Policy change, we are in the season of CHANGE.

Wasn't always like that, doesn't have to be that way in the future. There was a time (I read it somewhere) when Afghanistan was a net exporter of food. They are sustainment farmers. There will come a time when they realize they can't eat opium and the money from the sale does not feed their families. Instead of burning the opium fields we should be teaching effective farming techniques that will return them to being self-sufficient in food production.

As for the Taliban and Opium there has never been a ATF as successful as the Taliban.

I have close to 500mb of photos of Afghanistan that were from 1968 (they were passed on to us by some folks over there) it really amazes me how different it was there...so yes it doesn't have to be that way...

That at least is comforting. Lots of variables to be defined before we reach some sustainable situation, I think. Return to agriculture, warlords and their loyalties (unquestionably to the $), bordering countries and their stability, politicians and their end game.

Makes yer head hurt. Thanks Mr. Dozer!