Afghanistan Remains a Question Mark Even as First Lady Laura Bush Visits

heh..

nice, really nice!

Room for Optimism

While its true that Afghanistan has more than its fair share of problems, there are reasons to be optimistic. We're not leaving Afghanistan anytime soon, but progress is being made.

Its true that the current Afghan government has corruption issues, but corruption there is no more pervasive than in any other developing country. We often forget that our efficient functioning bureaucracy is a luxury in this world and that it will take time to build in Afghanistan. Even in our country we have problems, look at the millions of dollars unaccounted for in Iraq. Further, its not really fair to blame the Afghan government for misused aid, they only control about 7% of the aid that enters their borders in a given year.

Opium production continues to increase and yet the number of provinces producing opium has decreased. Why is this? Because opium production is becoming concentrated in the lawless provinces on the border with Pakistan. Now, Helmand province produces more drugs than Columbia. While this may seem inconsequential, it means that where law and order is maintained, opium production significantly decreases or ceases. With the current Marine offensives in Helmand and renewed British efforts in Farah, we may see decreases there as well. The fact is Afghanistan needs more western troops if we're going to win, but it is exciting to see that where we have the manpower, we get results.

Finally, there's the Afghans themselves. Despite what some say, poll data shows an overall favorable opinion of the U.S., NATO, the Afghan National Army, and their mission. Seventy percent of Afghans still hold a positive view of the U.S. military. More than ninety percent deny the Taliban as a valid political force. The overwhelming majority say they are more satisfied with their current government than the Taliban. Nearly sixty percent believe that their country is headed in the right direction. Most importantly ninety-percent said they support the Afghan National Army. (BBC/ABC News Poll and Asia Foundation Survey, data from 2007)

While we still have a plethora of challenges in Afghanistan, the people of that Central Asian country still support our mission there. It seems cruel to let down a people so long plagued by war. We can and should keep the promises we've made to the Afghan people.

Harlen

Cleveland Ohio

My Marine is There

SO, LAURA BUSH WENT TO AFGHANISTAN FOR PHOTO OPS FOR GEORGE AND WHOOPS... LAID BARE THE FACTS, OR AT LEAST SCRATCHED THE SURFACE. GOOD!!! MY MARINE IS ONE OF THE 3200 DEPLOYED THIS PAST MARCH, IN AFGHANISTAN. IT'S USUALLY VIRTUALLY IMPOSSIBLE TO FIND ANY NEWS FROM THERE ON T.V. EVERYONE IS SO EMBROILED IN TALK ABOUT IRAQ, THAT GOD FORBID WE SHOULD EVEN REMEMBER WHAT OUR ORIGINAL GOAL WAS! THANK GOD FOR THE INTERNET! IT TOOK AWHILE TO FIND GOOD SOURCES OF INFO, BUT NOW, I DO KNOW BY READING EVERYTHING I CAN FIND ONLINE, HOW IT REALLY IS IN AFGHANISTAN. THERE IS A VERY HUGE TROOP SHORTAGE OVER THERE AND THEY NEED TENS OF THOUSANDS MORE TROOPS ON THE GROUND THAN WHAT THEY HAVE. THIS IS, OUR FIGHT, AFTER ALL... OUR ONLY JUST FIGHT. MEN AND WOMEN DO GET KILLED, INJURIED AND MAIMED OVER THERE, YET WE HEAR NOTHING AND BUSH DOES NOTHING; DOESN'T EVEN MENTION IT.

THIS MAKES ME WORRY ABOUT MY MARINE'S AND ALL THE TROOP'S SAFETY ALL THE MORE, BUT MY ONE, CONSTANT THOUGHT IS THIS: MY MARINE AND ALL THE REST OF THE TROOPS THAT ARE THERE, WOULD NOT EVEN HAVE TO BE THERE RIGHT NOW, IF BUSH HAD NOT DROPPED THE BALL AND INVADED IRAQ. IT'S NOT A COMFORTING THOUGHT, BUT ONE I MUST LIVE WITH, EVERY DAY, ALONG WITH THE FEAR, EVERY DAY. I CAN'T IMAGINE HOW MY MARINE DOES IT, BUT YET HOPE THAT HE CAN CONTINUE TO LIVE WITH WHATEVER THOUGHTS HE MUST HAVE RIGHT NOW; SO HE CAN COME HOME. THEN, I PRAY HE CAN LOSE THOSE THOUGHTS AND BE THE PERSON HE WAS, BEFORE HE LEFT.

90% OF OUR TROOPS ARE IN IRAQ. 10% ARE IN AFGHANISTAN. WE NOW KNOW THE FACTS, THE LIES, THE OMISSIONS AND ALL THE COOKED UP INTELLIGENCE ABOUT THE INVASION OF IRAQ. WE CAN SEE THROUGH THE CONTINUOUS SHAM THAT'S BEEN GOING ON SINCE 2003. WHEN ARE WE GOING TO GO AFTER AND GET JUSTICE??? THIS NOT DOING ANYTHING HAS SET A TERRIBLE PRECEDENT AT A HORRIBLE COST AND THE PRICE CONTINUES TO RISE, AS WE ALL WAIT FOR THE SAFE RETURN OF OUR SONS AND DAUGHTERS..... THE COST OF THIS INJUSTICE NOT ONLY HAPPENS IN IRAQ, BUT AFGHANISTAN AS WELL...

WHAT A WASTE OF HUMAN LIVES; BOTH OUR TROOPS AND THE THOUSANDS OF INNOCENTS WHO ARE CAUGHT IN THE MIDDLE. I HAVE ONE MORE THOUGHT: THINK OF THE THOUSANDS OF INNOCENT MEN, WOMEN AND CHILDREN, WHO ARE NOT EXTREMESTS, FOR THEY FAR OUTNUMBER THE TERRORISTS... AND PLEASE, ALWAYS REMEMBER THAT THERE ARE AS MANY DIFFERENT VERSIONS OF THE KORAN AS THERE ARE OF THE BIBLE. MOST MUSLIMS ARE MORE LIKE US THAN SOME THINK. THEY LOVE AMERICANS AND WANT WHAT WE HAVE, OR AT LEAST THEY USED TO WANT IT. THEY BELIEVE IN ONE GOD AND REVERE JESUS CHRIST. PLEASE PRAY FOR THEM AS WELL. THANKS AND GOD BLESS.....

First Lady

We should all be greatful that the First lady was able to duck and cover in the midst of hostile enemy fire and make it out alive...

Right now she is accumulating experience to run for the presidential office in 2012 or she may possibly be angling for McCain's veep spot.

She has visited Afghanistan three times? That is more than the current presumptive Democrat nominee (Obama) has made to Afghanistan and Iraq combined.

Afghanistan

How ironic. My understanding is that, under Taliban rule, opium production was significantly curtailed and in some areas completely eliminated. Most importantly, this was accomplished without a widespread uprising in protest. Now, I don't support returning the Taliban to power in Afghanistan. However, I do support careful consideration of what they did (and perhaps did not do) that enabled them to so successfully confront the opium challenge there. To date, I have not heard of any real effort to do that. I submit that it is time to begin.

D.S. Arthur

La Mesa, CA