My take on Afghanistan

What we're trying to achieve in Afghanistan keeps on puzzling me, probably because no one knows it including our own government. Unlike Iraq, we went into that country with perhaps some good reasons, a bit like we takes an aspirin against a terrible headache without even thinking of what might have caused it; in other words, we were so preoccupied by alleviating the symptom that we never really looked at the root cause of the problem. That real reason, in my opinion, always was the unresolved Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and any problem that we keep having with the Muslim world at large will continue to find its root in that unsolved situation.

Now, we're trying to win the hearts and minds of the Afghans who could care less and only want to grow their poppy and sell its by-product to the Taliban via the Russian Mafia or some other organized crime, so money keeps flowing to fuel the conflict. Deep inside, the Afghan people wish we go away and don't want westerners to meddle in their internal affairs, their culture and the way they treat their women. Afghanistan is a lost cause, it is a drain to our treasury and a killing field for our young people. A courageous leader should not stand that situation.

A solution? Unless Bush and Cheney were capable and willing to fix what they created in that country through their criminal neglect, I can only see one: Simply put Karzai on notice and give him some iron-clad governance objectives. If these are not attained within 12 to 18 months, we're out of there; just mark my words, if we take this approach, we will! Crystal clear, simple and economical.