Is it? I think long ago it would be correct to say the Taliban was not our enemy, but these are not those times.

I believe RON PAUL makes the same arguement in a different way that if they leave us alone we should not give a shiat what they do within their own borders.

Angry Drunk Bureaucrat: These are the same Taliban that Reagan funded to defeat the Soviets or am I thinking of a different Taliban?

Same Taliban.

FTA: Biden was apparently addressing the reconciliation process in Afghanistan, which could mean a brokered peace with the Taliban.

Yeah, stupid Biden at it again. Everybody knows when you are trying to broker a peace, the best way to do it is to puff out your chest and declare in no uncertain terms your undying hostility toward the other party.

Also, your blog sucks, Glenn Beck

Quasar: Is it? I think long ago it would be correct to say the Taliban was not our enemy, but these are not those times.

Well, are they a "local", "on the other side of the Afghan civil war" enemy, or are they a "wants to attack the US mainland" enemy are two different questions. (1-yes, 2-no)

Quasar: Is it? I think long ago it would be correct to say the Taliban was not our enemy, but these are not those times.

Certainly, the Taliban is the enemy of every freedom-loving Afghan, and is also the enemy of every woman in that country.

Whatever you think of the Taliban, and there's a lot to hate, the one thing that they did bring to Afghanistan was stability. But being bad people that treat people in a shiatty way and being your forsworn enemy aren't exactly the same thing.

From a purely national security perspective, a Taliban with power that helps with Pakistani border security and gives a path to nuclear stability there is of interest. Suggesting otherwise is both simplistic and naive.

Well, technically the Taliban themselves never attacked Americans before we invaded Afghanistan. Of course they provided safe harbor for those who did, and we've been beating at the hornet's nest over there for 9 years now, so it's a rather moot point I suppose.

I think I saw the word 'oligarh' in there.

People still give a shiat what Glenn Beck has to say about anything?!?

Man... This country really does suck.

Vodka Zombie: People still give a shiat what Glenn Beck has to say about anything?!?

The Liberal Media does.

Cagey B: Whenever anyone talks about anything relating to Afghanistan, the first thing one should do is leave behind the idea of cohesive, large organizations. "Mujahadeen" was a catch-all term for Islamic resistance to the Soviets and their Afghan allies. There wasn't an organization called "The Mujahadeen", nor was there a Taliban as such. The "Taliban" as an organization didn't arise until after the civil war, and then coalesced in the 90s. Even within the Taliban, serious divisions exist.

When you think of Afghanistan, don't think of rational, organized actors. Think more of "Thunderdome".

This, really.

"Afghanistan" is not a nation state as a low information voter (read: someone who just nodded along approvingly to this bullshiat) would understand. Afghanistan is a series of tribes that do not like each other very much. Occasionally, some of these tribes are forced to work together by an invading force- the British, the Soviets, the US etc.

They may stop killing each other for long enough to kill some of us, but as soon as we leave, they'll go right back to their thousand year old blood feud. So to say we are at war with "The Taliban" is something you say to people who only watch 23 minutes of news each day (7 of it sports and weather). Its like saying "Rational thought and common sense is at war with the GOP". While that's technically true, it doesn't really explain the whole story.

Don't let the great Satan tempt you. You must stay true to the Taliban warlords.

Sanduskyed In The Shower: If the price is right, no one is our enemy

Just remember, help control the terrorist population - have your terrorist spayed or neutered

If the Taliban are de facto terrorists, then what about the Saudi Wahhabists? Fair is fair.

Sanduskyed In The Shower: wait this is glen beck? Didn't that guy cash out? I thought it was just an act

Roger Ailes decided he had gotten too big for his britches at Fox, so he's broadcasting on the radio now, plus he's got a website and I think an internet video channel if I'm not mistaken.

Cagey B: "Mujahadeen" was a catch-all term for Islamic resistance to the Soviets and their Afghan allies. There wasn't an organization called "The Mujahadeen", nor was there a Taliban as such. The "Taliban" as an organization didn't arise until after the civil war, and then coalesced in the 90s. Even within the Taliban, serious divisions exist.

what_now: Afghanistan is a series of tribes that do not like each other very much. Occasionally, some of these tribes are forced to work together by an invading force- the British, the Soviets, the US etc.

You guys are my heroes because this just never gets mentioned. It all comes down to Pashtunwali^ the tribal honor code. Afghanistan is not a nation in any cohesive sense, it is a series of tribes bound only by a common ethical code. Think of it like bushido or chivalry.

Imagine that we are at war against "Rednecks" in "The South." You send the 101st Airborne into Louisiana and Alabama, guns blazing, and you try to identify the Rednecks from the other people who live there, you try to decide what cultural barriers and sociological tropes make up Redneck Culture and which ones are just Americans living in the South. And all the while you're kicking in the wrong damn doors and shooting the wrong people until all of the South, even Austin and Atlanta and Dallas, they're all mad at you too, and every time you try to crack down the Rednecks just disappear into the woods and change clothes and drop the accent.

How do you win that? What are you objectives? When do you know it's over?

Go back to Glen Beck Beck Beckistan, Yahoo.

Wow, our non-enemies sure like killing us an awful lot. I guess in submitter's world making terminology vague is a comfortable way to avoid reality.

what_now: Afghanistan is a series of tribes

Oh, and I read that as "Afghanistan is a series of tubes." Stupid internet.

violentsalvation: Wow, our non-enemies sure like killing us an awful lot. I guess in submitter's world making terminology vague is a comfortable way to avoid reality.

That's kind of the submitter's point. Aside from when we were actively throwing out the Taliban government, we've been fighting against al Qaeda more than the Taliban.

Humean_Nature: You send the 101st Airborne into Louisiana and Alabama, guns blazing, and you try to identify the Rednecks from the other people who live there, you try to decide what cultural barriers and sociological tropes make up Redneck Culture and which ones are just Americans living in the South.

Two words:

Truck Nutz

violentsalvation: Wow, our non-enemies sure like killing us an awful lot. I guess in submitter's world making terminology vague is a comfortable way to avoid reality.

And in your world, scoring political points is more important than an understanding of the situation, and clearly nuance is for pussies.

Team America was a satire, you tool.

Angry Drunk Bureaucrat: These are the same Taliban that Reagan funded to defeat the Soviets or am I thinking of a different Taliban?

Groups and nations regularly switch between enemy and friend. You have heard of Germany and Japan, haven't you?

But can he spell potato?

Cagey B: Congratulations, you're a f*cking mongoloid.

He's East-Asian or possibly Amerindian??

Well, I can't judge Biden's expertise in foreign policy (and neither can you, I'll bet), but I can click through to find out that "The Blaze" is a newsletter about Christian ideology. You will recall that the Taliban is a Muslim organization. I prefer a bit less bias in my analysis, if you please. It seems likely to me that the impact on most of us is about the same as the impact of Saddam Hussein: evil, but not our problem unless we make it so. Recall what LBJ said about Castro: "He's an SOB, but with proper handling, he could have been our SOB".

Dancin_In_Anson: But can he spell potato?

I know he can count to it.

Diogenes: I know he .


Well thats just...great?

what_now:
Team America was a satire, you tool.

what_now: violentsalvation: Wow, our non-enemies sure like killing us an awful lot. I guess in submitter's world making terminology vague is a comfortable way to avoid reality.

And in your world, scoring political points is more important than an understanding of the situation, and clearly nuance is for pussies.

Team America was a satire, you tool.

Last I heard, negotiations with the Taliban broke down. We need to GTFO or eradicate the f*ckers. I know the nuances, I just don't give a sh*t. I am not a half blind partisan warmonger looking for political points, And I am not a puppet, but who has your strings?

Cagey B: Congratulations, you're a f*cking mongoloid.

That's racist.

Cagey B: violentsalvation: We need to GTFO or eradicate the f*ckers. I know the nuances, I just don't give a sh*t

Given that you think that it's only the Taliban fighting against us, no, you don't understand the nuances. Keep flailing, though.

I never said that. I never said they were the only enemy. If you want us to officially expand the war to other countries, just say it.

Cagey B: You're right, that was insensitive to certain ethnic groups. I'll amend my statement to, "you're a colossal imbecile, who I'm glad is too stupid to be in charge of anything of importance". Does that make the butthurt feel better?


My butt is doing fine, thanks.

Dancin_In_Anson: Well thats just...great?

I like Biden OK. But I couldn't resist the meme.

violentsalvation: Cagey B: violentsalvation: We need to GTFO or eradicate the f*ckers. I know the nuances, I just don't give a sh*t

Given that you think that it's only the Taliban fighting against us, no, you don't understand the nuances. Keep flailing, though.

I never said that. I never said they were the only enemy. If you want us to officially expand the war to other countries, just say it.

Cagey B: You're right, that was insensitive to certain ethnic groups. I'll amend my statement to, "you're a colossal imbecile, who I'm glad is too stupid to be in charge of anything of importance". Does that make the butthurt feel better?


My butt is doing fine, thanks.

Girls, girls, don't fight. You're both pretty.

nopokerface: Angry Drunk Bureaucrat: These are the same Taliban that Reagan funded to defeat the Soviets or am I thinking of a different Taliban?

I thought that was the Mujahadeen (sp?). I'm sure there's a lot of membership overlap....

If you want to get a bit hyper-technical the "Mujahadeen" was the balnket term for the various groups that formed the armed resistance to the Soviet invasion

The "Taliban" (literally "students") was a miltia formed by Pakistan's intelligence service, that recruited exclusively from the (American-funded) Madrassas attended by children Afghan refugees. The Talban did not "invade" Afghanistan until after the Mujahaddeen was successful in driving out the Soviets. They took advantage of the choas caused by a failling out of the two leading Mujahadeen commaders. Masoud (the State dept's choice to run the country) was a brilliant general but a lousy adminsitrator/poltician) Heykatamar was a brutal warlord and drug smuggler but the Pakistani ISI and the CIA back him for "services rendered"

The Taliban represented order and stability instead of another decade of warlord on warlord battles, so they people embraced them with open arms. The remenants of the Mujahadden (including Massoud) formed the Northern Alliance, and essentially battled the Taliban to a bloody stalement despite being badly out gunned and supplied.

The price OBL had to pay the Taliban for permission to launch his American was the assassination of Massoud, which his minions carried out on 9/10/01

About a month later US special forces hooked up with the NA and essentially routed the Taliban from power in less than a year. Then, when it was time to soldifiy the victory, rebuild and go home, the strangest thing happened: We seemed to forget Afghanistan existed as we busied ourselves playing with a shiny new War in Iraq

RexTalionis: violentsalvation: Cagey B: violentsalvation: We need to GTFO or eradicate the f*ckers. I know the nuances, I just don't give a sh*t

Given that you think that it's only the Taliban fighting against us, no, you don't understand the nuances. Keep flailing, though.

I never said that. I never said they were the only enemy. If you want us to officially expand the war to other countries, just say it.

Cagey B: You're right, that was insensitive to certain ethnic groups. I'll amend my statement to, "you're a colossal imbecile, who I'm glad is too stupid to be in charge of anything of importance". Does that make the butthurt feel better?


My butt is doing fine, thanks.

Girls, girls, don't fight. You're both pretty.

No no, let them go. I want to talk about violentsalvation's butt some more.