This & That!

-President Obama is said to be seriously considering moving up the timetable for the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan and leaving no residual force behind.  Apparently the president has become frustrated over the policies and rhetoric of our “ally”, Afghan president Hamid Karzai.

This is a very, very good thing.

We have been at war in Afghanistan for thirteen years…the longest war in American history.  Afghan president Hamid Karzai is an unstable, corrupt and feckless “partner” whose only loyalty is to Hamid Karzai.  He demands our money and our support while at the same time criticizing our policies and schmoozing our enemies.

Thousands of US lives lost…billions of US tax dollars spent…for what.  In the end, American troops will go home and leave the country as we found it…a forbidding unruly place stuck in the 4^th century.

As for Karzai…watch and see what happens shortly after the last American soldier leaves Afghan soil.  We expect something involving a public square, Karzia’s head and a spike.

We can only hope that the president acts on his growing frustration.

-Texas Governor Rick Perry has announced that he will not seek another term in the governor’s mansion.  Speculation abounds that he will mount another run at the White House.  As a writer, we can only hope that’s true.

-How do you say that you support the Egyptian people’s efforts to achieve democracy when the Egyptian people (along with the military) have overturned a democratically elected government?  That is the fine line the White House is walking as they uncomfortably watch the events unfolding in Cairo.  This line of thought gets even harder to spin when the military is gunning down supporters of the former democratically elected government. 

As expected the neo-cons are demanding that the US run head long into the fray.  These are the same guys who two years ago supported the people’s revolt against former Egyptian dictator Hosni Mubarak.  The same Mubarak they had supported for thirty years and provided $45 billion in aid.

When are we going to get that we don’t get it?    

The US would do well to keep its mouth closed and mind its own business.