Obama: Afghan plan transfers control

Countdown to the mind numbing, mindless anti Obama rhetoric from the losers on the right in:

5..4...3...2..1 Ding Ding Ding!!!
.

OH IS THIS FUNNY!!!!!!!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDR47EKTrCQ

The next time Republicans start whining about spending show them this.

Bush/Republican tax cuts for the rich cost 2.5 x House health care proposals!

The nonpartisan, nonprofit organization Citizens for Tax Justice released a report Tuesday, comparing the costs of the two Bush tax cuts from 2001 and 2003 over a ten-year period (2001-2010) against the costs of the health care proposals put forward by House committees.

And as those of us in the reality-based (Democrats) community would expect, the Bush/Republican tax cuts for the rich come out vastly more expensive, to the tune of two and a half times more, than the group of proposals passed by the three House committees that worked on health care reform legislation this past spring and summer.

"Newly revised estimates from the Citizens for Tax Justice show that the Bush/Republican tax cuts for the rich cost almost $2.5 trillion over the decade after they were first enacted (2001-2010). Preliminary estimates from the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office show that the House Democrats' health care reform legislation is projected to cost $1 trillion over the decade after it would be enacted (2010-2019). And yet, many of the lawmakers who argue that the health care reform legislation is "too costly" are the same lawmakers who supported the Bush tax cuts. Their own voting record demonstrates that health care reform is not a matter of costs, but a matter of priorities. It's difficult to see how the Bush/Republican tax cuts for the rich could provide us with two and a half times the benefits of health care reform. In 2010, when all the Bush tax cuts are finally phased in, a staggering 52.5 percent of the benefits will go to the richest 5 percent of taxpayers. President Bush and his supporters argued that these high-income tax cuts would benefit everybody because they would unleash investment that would spark widespread economic prosperity. There seems to be no evidence of this, particularly given the collapse of the economy at the end of the Bush years. "
.
http://www.ctj.org/

Well that's the clinical way of saying it, but that's their job.

Here we have the unmitigated, demonstrable failure of the Bush administration's rigid adherence to ideology at all costs going up against the morally and financially sound, responsible effort to provide health care for all Americans at a more reasonable cost.

The hypocrisy from Republicans on this is staggering, of course, as the "fiscal conservatives" have suddenly descended on Washington again, now that their hands aren't all over the money, able to distribute it to their rich buddies.

I voted for and hoped for Barack. This is a let down. The beginning of the end of his administration. A vast majority of Americans, and many of those that voted for him are sick and tired of war. That is what his campaign was based on. He was elected to put an end to this and he has failed.

It's now sealed in the amber of history: a Senate Foreign Relations Committee report confirms that when George W. Bush had the chance to take out Osama bin Laden a few months after the attacks of 9/11, he froze:

"When criticized...for not zeroing in on bin Laden, administration officials, including former Vice President Dick Cheney, responded that the al Qaeda leader's location was uncertain. "But the review of existing literature, unclassified government records and interviews with central participants underlying this report removes any lingering doubts and makes it clear that Osama bin Laden was within our grasp at Tora Bora," the report said. ...The report called bin Laden's escape "a lost opportunity that forever altered the course of the conflict in Afghanistan and the future of international terrorism, leaving the American people more vulnerable to terrorism, laying the foundation for today's protracted Afghan insurgency and inflaming the internal strife now endangering Pakistan."
.
http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/11/29/bin.laden.2001/index.html

This simply confirms what we've known for years, and once again illuminates the extent to which Republican leaders can get away with virtually anything, just as long as they've got a big enough codpiece stuffed down their Flight Suit during a photo op with our military.

James, do the words "open and transparent" ring a bell?

Adolph: Pile it on. I can't defend Barack anymore.

Change You Can Be Deceived In.

What in the world are we fighting for?

We cannot win a war against thought. The Taliban, or someone like them, will inevitably rule that craphole immediately after we leave, whether that's 2011 or 2211. Who believes that we're going to convert Afghanistan to a nation of suburb-dwelling, baseball-loving, Chevy-driving peace-loving proxies for Americans? It's a land built on fear and mythology and lead by power-mad religious zealots. It's been conquered more times than Sarah Palin's daughter. Thirty thousand more troops and two more years will not change that one bit.

A few lines from John Legend's song "Coming Home":

A new year, a new enemy
Another soldier gone to war
Another story told before
Now it's told again

Worse speech Obama has given as President. The Cadets were sitting on their hands. They realize Obama really hates our military, our instituitions, and our culture.

He is making good on a campaign promise, a promise everyone who voted for him knew about and repeated, and yet they are "disappointed." His sheeple have either selective hearing, or knowingly supported a say-anything-panderer. Once elected, these followers unquestioningly latched on to any and all rhetoric to cast doubt into the the hearts and minds of the general public about the merits of "finishing" Afghanistan. Humorously simultaneously pointing to it being historically a lost cause, and how GWB let it go for 7-8 years-- as if doing anything else would have made a difference. That only leads one to believe that, that something GWB didn't do-- is something that we can do to "finish" the job. No people likes to be occupied and this is one consequence of war hard to dodge, but unlike Iraq, The Afgani people were at one point or another open to the prospects of our occupation bringing about a "change" of sorts to the place. It might be too late to win them over, but, then again, for 7-8 years we didn't even try in order to know different.

This is the greatest political figure of our lifetime.

Highest marks.

Summa cum laude.

Did you notice a long period during the address during which there were no interruptions by applause?

I did.

Everyone sat spellbound.

Anyone who thinks the rich don't pay enough taxes doesn't know the facts. You can easily google tax statistics by earnings and see that the top 10% pay most of the US taxes already. You may also want to take a basic course in economics to understand that the rich use their $ to provide capital for investment in businesses and jobs. Ever get a job from someone on welfare? Didn't think so.

What worries me is that he seems to be promising that troops will be OUT in a year. Someone name the last politician that kept his/her promise.

...didn't President Obama have a deadline for health care reform of August?...its December, still in debate...didn't he set a one-year deadline for closing the prison at Gitmo?...well, looks like that one isn't going to be met either...Obama setting a deadline in this case is not only foolish, but most likely, unobtainable...check back in August 2011 to see how that deadline is kept...

Why send more over? Why not bring them home? so they can protect us from Obama taking away our freedom and liberty and right to choose and taking away all our money for dictatorship. Lies.

Ornery, the cadets were not spellbound, they were dumbfounded in realizatio that this complete and utter imbecile actually is their commander in chief.
Guy, you losers on the Left said Iraq was unwinnable, that we lost 2 years ago. Sorry, but Iraq was winnable and never was lost. The same hold true for Afghanistan. What is the alternative, Loons? Let the Taliban and Al Qaeda take over in Afghanistan again?
It is way past time for the Loons to just go. Leave this country. Leave this government. Let the able, intelligent conservatives and moderates run things and operate this country. The Left is nothing but losers. Time to exit! Scram. Shooo! Scat! Go away!

Obama is a Joke!

I make up stupid post names , tax "justice" must mean taking money from people who work hard and give it to those who don't.

At the rate they're taxing me, I won't be able to even send my kids to college. This is with my husband working 70 hours a week as a primary care doc. If you want to talk about the "rich", perhaps you should go stand on a street corner in Hollywood, or down at Wrigley field where the libs wealthy "friends" hang out. I have a great idea, if you think that taxes are so great, please give up whatever income you have to the government. Don't get me involved.

This empty suit man-child couldn't lead a one car parade let alone a war. The only thing remaining amazing about him is that there are still people gullible enough to follow and worship him.

"promised to begin withdrawing forces from the embattled nation in July 2011"
OK who has ever told the enemy when we will stop, expects to win and has actually claimed victory over that enemy?
Do you think that maybe he was just appeasing to his liberal left.

"swiftly deploying"

Silva is joking, right? He's been screwing around with this for months and now he goes with half measures (well 3/4 measures) and sets a surrender date for the next administration? That's leadership!

You need to watch the address again and pay attention.

The young man did good tonight. Lets see if he get it done.

why doesn't this site post my neg. comment of Obama?
All the new media are avoiding the health reform(destroy America) while the vote is close.
Obama wants everyone to look the other way. he will go down as the Presdient to destroy American's freedom.

Bad decision, Mr. Obama. Bad advice, generals. No one can succeed militarily in Afghanistan - it has never happened.
A waste of lives and resources.

I did not vote for Obama but believe he is finally acting as the president. Making decisions that are not just political or to appease the far left. While I hate to see increase potential loss of life, this may be the only way to save lives in the future.

It is interesting that Obama changed his tone on the Iraq surge and went from saying there is no rush to make the decision to setting a very aggressive schedule.

Now a pet peave of mine:
Let's stop talking about Bush, he has been gone for almost a year and let's focus on the current situation. Why do people bring up the amount of taxes paid by the rich when commenting on a war?

Swiftly = 30,000 new troops in six months. The military sought to put in 40,000 over a year. Even if the president had given McChrystal his wish three months ago, the full deployment wouldnt be there til next fall. The president is calling for all there by summer -- though 10,000 less than sought. But, by any standard, 30,000 is a lot of troops, equal to what had been deployed there earlier this year, and the adminisration's goal is to start pulling them out by the following summer. So that's the reason for the term -- cause you asked. A good night to all.

Well at least we now know why it took 3 months to come up with something. It took him that long to find someone to write this speech. This guy is a joke.

So he just told Al Queda to pull back until 2011, then re-emerge. Good job, giving aid and comfort to the enemy, Obama! Wait, isn't that treason?

It sounds like Obama recognizes McChrystal is right but also that any expansion of the war will not play well to his political base. That's unfortunate. If there is anything that the Bush II years should have taught us, it's that playing to the base of a political party is a recipe for disaster. Obama should do what's right, and not what's popular.

Typical Obama speech.
Obama used the word "I" 45 times. Obama used the word "victory" zero times...and used "win" zero times.

To Obama, it's all about HIM.

"the adminisration's goal is to start pulling them out by the following summer. So that's the reason for the term"

Reason for the term? There's a reason there?
Well, Mark anyone with a common sense for victory knows NOT to show your hand to your opponent.
You send 30K more troops in to the theater, you might figure that 10% will not make it back. So if your opponent knows your plan, they pull back early and wait until July 2011 what did the 90% achive for the 10% who might not make it back?
Dumb goal!

This country has to fight in the middle east for OIL, in order to survive. We will not win, we will fail. There will be a revolution.

MSNBC declares West Point the "enemy camp" after tonight's speech.

http://www.thefoxnation.com/chris-matthews/2009/12/01/chris-matthews-calls-west-point-enemy-camp

and it's one two three...what are we fighting for...don't ask me, I don't give a da**... next stop is Afghanistan.

Change...what is it good for...absolutely nothing.

How could I be such fool...How could I believe the lies that you told me.

It's what he promised to do in the campaign.

He's taking McCrystal at his word---that the modern army can be "nimble" and "precise".

He's also made a judgment that the cancer is localized in Afpakistan.

He's employing a surgical analogy.

We'll see whether McCrystal can deliver.

Meanwhile, brace for a terrorist response to tonight's address.

This dude has obviously never been in the military and most definitely NEVER in a combat war zone. Ahem, it's Commander-in-Chief, not Commander-in-Chef. We can only hope to hear these words soon: "I shall not seek, and I will not accept, the nomination of my party for another term as your president,"

It's good that the Obama administration recognizes the true threat to our national security, but it worries me that we must rely on Pakistan for our success. Because the real issue is stability in Pakistan, we can do everything right in Afghanistan and still not solve the problem. In fact, it's possible that pushing the Taliban out of Afghanistan into Pakistan will make the real mission even more difficult.

The number one thing I came away with tonight is a feeling of pity that these well-meaning hard-working folks on Obama's national security team have to deal with the stink bomb of complex problems that the Bush Republicans left on their doorstep. I am not convinced that their strategy is going to work, nor that we face that much of a special threat to our domestic security from the border regions. But I was convinced that an unstable Pakistan is a huge nuclear threat to the region and possibly beyond, and that the Taliban movement there must be rolled back as part of a larger effort to calm things down in the subcontinent.

I would like to thank the wingnuts for reminding me how hypocritical and stupid they are. Let's see- Obama sends more troops and gets us involved in a war we can't win. Obama leaves and is giving in to terrorists. I might agree or disagree with Obama. But I definitely don't trust wingnuts.

THE LAST PERSON WHO SHOULD BE OPENING HIS MOUTH = CHENEY

Whatever differences we as Americans have regarding President Obama's policy choices in Afghanistan, the one thing we can all agree on is that we're sick of hearing arsonists hanging around the fire they started telling us the best way put it out. Certain media, however, eagerly add kerosene to the flames by endlessly quoting them.

Thus, today, we've got torturer-in chief Richard Bruce Cheney - who lied us into war and further enriched himself and his wealthy cronies in the process - explaining to Politico how Obama has botched his decision because he actually spent time thinking about it. Therefore, the President is projecting "weakness."

Weakness is added to weakness, Cheney says, by trying some Gitmo prisoners in New York in civilian courts. Uh-huh. By hauling self-described holy warriors into American criminal courts to be tried with thieves and murderers means the terrorists have already won.

It takes no special effort or reading between the lines to see the main theme behind Cheney's remarks: Obama is giving aid and comfort to the enemy.

Nothing any Democratic President can do will ever stop the flow of "weak-on-defense" canards from warmongering Republican goons that began 60 years ago with shrieks of "Who Lost China?" President Obama could announce tonight the sending of half a million U.S. troops to Afghanistan, an invasion of Pakistan's border regions, the bombing of Iran's nuclear facilities, the summary execution of all the prisoners at Gitmo and Bagram, and declaration of martial law at home. Wouldn't matter. Cheney and the rest of the guys who weakened our national security by turning friends into enemies, assaulting the Constitution, hollowing out our armed forces and enhancing the role of mercenaries would still be complaining about weakness.

In the old days, the media avoided reporting Ted Bundy's views of the forensic team's analysis of his activities. But we live in a new era in which answers to questions like this are allowed to stand without a follow-up:
-
"Cheney was asked if he thinks the Bush administration bears any responsibility for the disintegration of Afghanistan because of the attention and resources that were diverted to Iraq. "I basically don’t," he replied without elaborating."
.
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1109/30024.html

It's not only hack online upstarts like Politico that purvey this kind of thug-minded right wing propaganda. The Wall Street Journal's Op-Ed pages, where right wing armchair gladiators regularly demolish an array of strawmen, have become a cesspool, a Home for Washed-Up Neocons like John Bolton and Richard Perle, Karl Rove etc.

There's a legitimate forum for Cheney and the rest of the Republicans who failed to capture or kill Osama bin Laden, then expended $3 trillion and the lives of more than a million Iraqis, Americans and other human beings in a war of aggression that had zero justification. That forum is a war crimes court.

Until, however, the unlikely day when they can tell their lies under oath, they have nothing to say worth hearing.

OH DARN I fell asleep during OBAMA'S speech.. doesn't look like I missed anything.. I have to hand it to the cadets they managed to stay awake..
Well lets see if we can catch the bad guys this time Clinton failed, Bush failed maybe #3 will be the good luck charm..

Wasn'r Obama the guy who, if elected, was going to bring our troops home? In conjunction with a very weak economy, I am beginning to thionk that any good GOP candidate other than Cheney might be a winner in '12.

For all of you that have such strong opinions for getting out of this war immediately, do three or four pumps over there, actually see what's going on with your own eyes, and then feel free to share your thoughts. It really shocks me how many of you actually believe what the media feeds you. Think of it as building a house and then giving up when you're almost finished because you're tired, and weren't expecting it to be so hard. So you give up and the structure stands for a few weeks, but then the whole thing collapses because of termites. So somebody has to come back to clean it up....you. That's about as simple as I can make it. We have a job to finish. We can't just leave.

Love it...the left is all angry. About time they got a clue about BO. Now..who will vote in this clown for another term? This is too funny watching this as a Republican.

4 months late, too much Drama and all the wrong decisions. Now we just play out the next 3 years and wait for a new administration. My heart goes out to the families of the military and the armed forces for having such a commander in chief. Our troops should be our first concern not how the rest of the world perceives us. I say send is hundreds of thousands do the job or just walk away now.

Why is it that once in office, most presidents seek to be a "war-time president?" I would be more impressed if he put on a uniform and joined the fray. The American people are tired of this war and want out. We cannot change the hearts, minds and basic historical structure of other countries' citizens. We also cannot continue to support it financially because what little money the U.S. currently has for such ventures is woefully undervalued. We are spending ourselves into bankruptcy as a nation and the rest of the world knows it.

Reinstate the draft. Send the gangs to Afghanistan, let them learn about fighting a real enemy and not shooting at some un-armed, innocent senior citizens, children, students and other innocent bystanders. If they get captured, let them discover what it's really like to be punished. If they are too cool for school, let them serve their country.

As for paying for the "surge," dip into the pockets of all of the rich, useless politicians, (redundant, I know,) cut back on their benefits, make them aware of how the rest of the nation gets by during this economic mess and send them and their children that are old enough to serve the country over there and fight.

James...good for you. I've been waiting to hear from Obama voters who are disappointed that he's not making good on campaign promises. If more of you would hold him accountable perhaps he'll do more of what you voted him in to do.

Mark Silva..."conquered more times than Sarah Palin's daughter" from Guy...wouldn't that count as an over-the-top personal attack? I welcome your thoughts.

After great Deliberation and Agony, Pres. Obama did not just call for the Escalation of the "struggle" but married it with a specified end date of this Struggle through military might.

I saw in Pres. Obama a heart that bleeds for this decision for anyone whose heart center is open and active feels the pain of this task, yet, speaking with a Heavy Heart, I also heard in that speech the unspoken wish or Intent that he was going to also bring Bin Laden to justice ( the great Prize and Symbol)! I also heard the great Urgency he feels to bind up all loose nuclear threats and to prevent them from getting into those hands within Afghanistan and Pakistan which might annihilate the world as we know it. He has not made this this "call to arms" for Oil or for profit based upon a lie but a heartfelt desire to keep safe the people in the world, in the binding up of these nuclear threats to the world by this faction which he knows is still out there plotting to do harm! That in this way we are Standing up for Peace and that somehow we must go into Hell for a Heavenly cause.

I heard him also say to the Military Industrial Complex Machine that there will be an end date, and that it will not be open-ended, but that the battle for peace might call for other strategic ways to get to this goal -- that giving the benefit of the doubt to his generals -- he will try their way (since they are so much more knowledgeable about military than him).

As, he spoke about true security from a world without nuclear weapons (his real true goal), he also spoke about the need to unite with the world to accomplish this task because in truth, terror and nuclear weapons is a world problem! And finally, he called us to the time after 9/11, when we were all united but got deviated from the course, but to return to that Unity of purpose, one more time.... and that if he is lucky, he will bring home the Prize, Bin Ladin, break the back of this threat, and then for the weary and battle scarred-soldiers they can look onward and say, well done -- yet, there's no place like home, there's no place like home!

Let us trust " that there is a goodness in all of life that cannot even be eliminated by thoughts that temporarily cause you to believe that negativity is the underlying reality of human life on earth... " (1) Let us call on that goodness to illuminate our way forward towards that peace and goodwill and seal the door where evil dwells.

1. Ron Scolastico. Doorway to the Soul

Did everyone who voted for Obama forget that this Afghan troop increase was something he ran on? He said he would do it and why are you surprised? It's where 9/11 came from, not Iraq, dummies. Why in the world would you act surprised by the troop increase- this is what you voted for!

President Obama made a good and courageous speech in defense of his Afghanistan policy. He is finally acting presidential in standing up for what is in the best interest of the country. I hope he can keep the Far Left Wing Crazies of his Party under control. They will do anything to undermine American Foreign Policy to advance their own personal agenda.

Just think, if Bush&Cheney had done their duty, by our nation, we would not have to address this engagement, again. Once again, President Obama is forced to clean up a Bush&Cheney mess. They sure were a couple of dirty, draft-dodgers, weren't they?? In spite of all the messes they left behind, have no fear, the Democrats are here and we will clean-up their entire mess, including Healthcare Reform, with Medicare for All Americans !!
SUPPORT OUR TROOPS, BRING THEM HOME, ALIVE AND WHOLE. NOW.

Worse speech Obama has given as President. The Cadets were sitting on their hands. They realize Obama really hates our military, our instituitions, and our culture.

Posted by: Truth Teller | December 1, 2009 8:46 PM

Ref- -
One of the lowest stunts Obimbo has pulled, Obimbo know the Cadets cant speak out as it would hinder their education.

Obama is a Joke!

Posted by: Denny Crane | December 1, 2009 9:47 PM

Could be why more and more Americansare switching to Fox .

Come July 2011 we won't be able to leave because we will be surrendering to the terrioist and the soldiers that die between now and then, would have died in vein. At what point do we decide to secure our borders and allow others to secure theirs?

I watched and listened and after 15 minutes, I turned the channel. Very very disappointed. A speech in front of cadets and the media?
Color that a captive audience. Why not in front of congress, where this speech should have been made? Color that a staged event. Still very very disappointed. Obama promised to end these wars. Money for wars and none for healthcare ? Not even for the wounded GI's ? Unemployment
18%, homelessness and hunger here in the land of the free but the war must go on and why? The terrorists have a great big world to hide in. Does this have anything to do with the vast reserves of minerals and gas, pipelines and mining all there for the picking? Money talks.
Today I am a very disappointed
former Obama supporter.

Don F -"Just think, if Bush&Cheney had done their duty, by our nation, we would not have to address this engagement, again. Once again, President Obama is forced to clean up a Bush&Cheney mess"
Hope you realize why this war took a few steps backwards.
We had AQ and the Taliban on the run. As they ran right in the Pakistan, where the Pakistani Government signed peace treaties with the tribal elders not to engage them. This set up a safe haven for AQ and the Taliban to regroup for an insurgency back in to Afghanistan. When you have a government that refuses to help and engage our enemies on their turf, you’ll have problems.
Let make sure we are clear on history, OK?

Given the new Obama doctrine, some may want to read, or reread the book, In Retrospect: The Tragedy ad Lessons of Vietnam.. Written by Robert McNamara, the architect of the Vietnam war, and Sec. of Defense under Kennedy and Johnson (1961-1968). McNamara writes in his book...."We were wrong, terribly wrong"....
*
18 more months in Afghanistan. An average of 50 Americans per month to die there is almost another ONE THOUSAND foot soldiers to die. Who wins that lottery?
*

Obama and all the dem and repug war mongers should leave their families and take their chances over there. And, McChrystal says, Gosh, I wonder why military suicides have shot up. Obama says, Oh crap, I said Afghanistan was the war to fight during my campaign, now I have to do something--even though the Afghan gov't--pres--and his brother are corrupt (funny elections, drugs) as hell.

*
France and Germany--you are so much closer to Afghan. and Paki--yet you send no more living soldiers. I envy your leaders' wisdom, and their saving their citizens' lives and treasury. You voted well. You guys continue to spend your money on your own economy and the wellbeing of your citizens. It's a sad, different situation here in the USA.

Obama must feel like the bucket burgade following the elephants at the circus

Posted by: MAJMark | December 2, 2009 1:05 PM

It would seem while your assessment is partially correct, that does not mean that the administration not follow and demand results for all the money we spent. They should have been held accountable. If we threatened to "bomb them back to the darkages", we certainly should have followed up.

The number of contractors in Afghanistan as of June was 73,968, compared with 55,107 troops. Of the total contractors, about 10,000 are Americans, 51,000 are locals, and roughly 12,000 are third-country nationals......

SWEET!!!! AMERICAN DOLLARS GO TO FIX SOME OTHER COUNTRY AND MOST OF THE PEOPLE GETTING PAID AREN'T EVEN AMERICAN!!!

So much for HOPE and Change...Looks like we just got change...for whatever that is worth....

So much for HOPE and Change...Looks like we just got change...for whatever that is worth....

Posted by: HOPEium | December 2, 2009 2:55 PM

Where you as concerned for the money spent in Iraq?

Well Mr Bill, don't you think living in caves IS the "dark ages"? :)
And I am not partially correct, it's absolutely correct.
And they did demand results, however, getting Pakistan to understand the urgency of the Taliban presence in the Pakistani nation was a tough sell to an Islamic Republic who was making peace in that region with them.... It bit them right in the ars.
Now the Taliban and AQ have made their bed with Pakistan by their terror attacks inside that nation, which finally woke them up. It was an easy future to predict for Pakistan back then.

Posted by: MAJMark | December 2, 2009 9:15 PM

While you may wish to believe that there is one answer or reason for failure in Afghanistan, it simply isn't true. The first failure was not capturing Bin Laden. The reason the administration did not follow closely Pakistans assistance was we let Iraq become the "central" war on terrorism. We turned a blind eye to the real war for some huge mistake in Iraq. If you think that 8 years of war doesn't make our objectives in Afghanistan much, much harder, you simply are not being honest with yourself.