It seems to me I have to admit I know little and that I can be influenced.
I backed President Bush’s war on terror. I doubled-down on that decision when pressure began mounting to pull out during the Obama years. But as time wore on, I can’t even tell you why we were in Afghanistan. The country harbored terrorists? Doesn’t Iran? Lebanon? Yemen?
The reality, Afghanistan means nothing to me. My life in America is not affected by the goings on in that country.
And if that is the case, maybe the United States’ interests there aren’t as grand as the forever war contingent within our government claims it is.
Ultimately, I don’t know.
President Biden has been a mess. And the withdrawal from Afghanistan is the poster of his incompetence. We left Americans behind That does shake the nerve as that is a steadfast value ingrained in us.
But we are out of Afghanistan.
I recall thirty-plus years ago chuckling at Russia for thinking they could enact change in Afghanistan. The oft-repeated, misattributed line:
The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.
seems appropriate here. We were there twice as long as Russia. We limp away defeated.
At least we are free of the ongoing mess. No more deaths. No more money squandered. It was ugly from beginning to end. But it’s done.
I may have political naivete. After all, I am but a simple man. But if it can’t be explained so a simple man can understand it, perhaps it isn’t as clear as it should be.