Here we go again... Afghanistan is sounding a lot like Irag
The leaders do not support the US military
Biden wants drones, Petreus wants troops, Karsi wants $
Obama does what Petreus wants and follows a "not on my watch" strategy
by setting goals well after the 2012 election
To continue an un-winnable war is leading to a world-view defeat for the US
The Washington Post
Biden makes unannounced visit to Afghanistan
By Joshua Partlow
Washington Post Foreign Service
Monday, January 10, 2011; 10:37 AM
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Biden's unannounced visit brings him to the Afghan capital at a time of uncertainty in the war.
Military commanders claim progress against the Taliban in the areas where they've concentrated U.S. troops,
particularly in the southern Afghan provinces of Kandahar and Helmand.
And President Obama last month called the war effort "on track."
But the insurgency remains potent in wide swaths of the country.
The Afghan government has strongly opposed parts of the U.S.
military strategy and not yet addressed its own problems with corruption.
Insurgent leaders, meanwhile, operate safely from sanctuaries in Pakistan.
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Obama has also moved away from the deadline he set of July 2011 for those troops to begin pulling out. <snip>
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Afghan officials meanwhile continue to push for more authority
over how the war is fought and how billions of dollars of foreign aid is spent.
Karzai supports a less intrusive U.S. military presence in Afghanistan, and has pushed
to curtail inflammatory Special Operations forces night raids and reduce civilian casualties.
He also wants his country to benefit from development projects and not
just serve as a battlefield against terrorism.
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