[Jim Noble]

We need to enforce our values on that nation instead of kow-towing to their warped values - it’s what we did in post-war Germany and Japan

Yes, we did that in Germany and Japan AFTER we conquered them, replaced their governments with American officials, rewrote their laws, and hanged their leaders.

It’s what we should have done in Afghanistan from day one.

What the hell are you talking about? In November 2001, George W. Bush changed the name of Operation Infinite Justice because only Allah could dispense infinite justice.

We NEVER took control of Afghanistan (never mind our real enemies Pakistan and Saudi Arabia), it has NEVER been US policy to govern that country, and the forces we sent there were laughably inadequate to that task if it HAD been our policy.

The best thing we can do after our defeat in Afghanistan is to get the hell out of their before any more of our people get killed.

[AnotherUnixGeek]

Yes, we did that in Germany and Japan AFTER we conquered them, replaced their governments with American officials, rewrote their laws, and hanged their leaders.

And what exactly prevented us from doing that in Afghanistan? We didn't even need to conquer them - Afghanistan was and is a shattered country manipulated and dominated by Pakistan. Are we saying the US is incapable of securing a small nation and installing a US-oriented regime because it borders on Pakistan? The Taliban was fostered in Pakistan and continues to exist because of Pakistan - it ruled Afghanistan for years. We can't do something that Pakistan can? Nonsense.

If we weren't prepared to remake Afghanistan, we shouldn't have gone there in the first place. Chasing Osama bin Laden from Tora Bora to a two bedroom condo next to a Pakistani military academy and heading for home isn't an appropriate response to 9/11.