So. Obama will soon reveal his plan for the war in Afghanistan. It seems like a good time to remember Mauldin’s comment.
Unfortunately, Afghanistan is not Vietnam. The Vietnam War was a horror. Americans sometimes remember that we lost upwards of 50,000 American lives there, and more than that to suicide and drugs once the soldiers came home. Estimates of Vietnamese deaths are upwards of a million, though less often mentioned here. People who lived through the era remember the insanity of all this going on in a place that America had nothing to do with. And when it was over? Nothing happened. America licked the wounds of its national pride. The economy went catty-wampus with war debt. Vietnam went its way, slowly rebuilt and is now a capitalist economy run by a Communist Party. In short, a giant, “So what?” on the world stage.
Afghanistan is another matter. A Taliban / Al Qaeda victory will have real consequences. In my view, the Taliban represent much of the worst the human race has to offer. These are people who throw acid in a girl’s face if she dares to go to school. I cheered when the Taliban fell. And then watched in horror as the great A.D.D. President dropped the ball on rebuilding the country.
Of course, this is nothing new for American policy in the region. Here is what Mauldin had to say about the Soviet war in Afghanistan.
While they were there, we were glad to fund and train and arm the likes of – yup, you guessed it – Osama Bin Laden. And once the Soviets were out, “Oh, Afghanistan? Where’s that?”
So I am afraid I am not one of those who thinks the answer is “U.S. Out Now!”
But I’m afraid I’m not optimistic, either.
Sources:
Bill Mauldin, I’ve Decided I Want My Seat Back
Bill Mauldin, Let’s Declare Ourselves Winners
