Taliban is and never has been an enemy of the United States, but on the other hand - it has been and is still an enemy of the United States. A column by Kerry Patton outlines the complications with the term and why it may be inaccurate to jump all over Biden for his statement (and the White House supporting what his position).
On the other hand - as soon as Obama was elected, he sent emissaries to Afghanoistan to begin negotiations with the Taliban. He was not thinking, at that time, about the distinction between what the word means and those who perpetrated attacks upon the United States and or on Americans in Afghanistan. His intent, his sole intent, was to extricate the United States as quickly as possible so he could claim victory and end our years in Afghanistan. How do we know this? He was just elected. He had nearly na whole year experience as a US Senator, less than 8 years in his state as a legislator ... he knew nothing except his political ideology was opposed to our involvement in Afghanistan from the start. His promise to the Left was to end that war. Even if it meant negitiating with people who did nto attack us, but who aided and gave comfort to those who attacked us and did so knowingly and willfully.
They have not changed - any of them. Those who never fought the US are still not fighting the US. Those who did and have walked away have done so because we wore them down and they tired of being killed and blown up. Did more arrive - yes, but unlike what we did in Iraq (eventually) where we used on the ground resources and sects opposed to other sects, against one another to eventually dominate - we did not begin this process in Afghanistan until much later, and under Obama, we have given up on that tact. Instead, we have promised to send many prisoners from Guantanamo back to Afghanistan. This is our expression of trust to those who destroyed 5,000 year old Buddhist monuments.
Send back to Afganistan men who are for the most part NOT Taliban, but rather, are al qaida - men who attacked or planned to attack and kill Americans and other allies.
Smart move.
obama
On the other hand - as soon as Obama was elected, he sent emissaries to Afghanoistan to begin negotiations with the Taliban. He was not thinking, at that time, about the distinction between what the word means and those who perpetrated attacks upon the United States and or on Americans in Afghanistan. His intent, his sole intent, was to extricate the United States as quickly as possible so he could claim victory and end our years in Afghanistan. How do we know this? He was just elected. He had nearly na whole year experience as a US Senator, less than 8 years in his state as a legislator ... he knew nothing except his political ideology was opposed to our involvement in Afghanistan from the start. His promise to the Left was to end that war. Even if it meant negitiating with people who did nto attack us, but who aided and gave comfort to those who attacked us and did so knowingly and willfully.
They have not changed - any of them. Those who never fought the US are still not fighting the US. Those who did and have walked away have done so because we wore them down and they tired of being killed and blown up. Did more arrive - yes, but unlike what we did in Iraq (eventually) where we used on the ground resources and sects opposed to other sects, against one another to eventually dominate - we did not begin this process in Afghanistan until much later, and under Obama, we have given up on that tact. Instead, we have promised to send many prisoners from Guantanamo back to Afghanistan. This is our expression of trust to those who destroyed 5,000 year old Buddhist monuments.
Send back to Afganistan men who are for the most part NOT Taliban, but rather, are al qaida - men who attacked or planned to attack and kill Americans and other allies.
Smart move.
Published December 19, 2011
FoxNews.com
The White House on Monday defended Vice President Joe Biden for saying that the Taliban isn't an enemy of the United States despite the years spent fighting the militant Islamic group that gave a home to Al Qaeda and its leader Usama bin Laden while he plotted the Sept. 11 terror attacks.
"It's only regrettable when taken out of context," White House spokesman Jay Carney said of the vice president's remarks in an interview published Monday.
"It is a simple fact that we went into Afghanistan because of the attack on the United States on Sept. 11, 2001. We are there now to ultimately defeat Al Qaeda, to stabilize Afghanistan and stabilize it in part so that Al Qaeda or other terrorists who have as their aim attacks on the United States cannot establish a foothold again in that country," Carney continued.
During Biden's interview with Newsweek last week, the vice president said it's "good enough" for the U.S. if Afghanistan stops being a "haven for people who do damage and have as a target the United States of America" and its allies. He added that the U.S. is supportive of a reconciliation process between the Afghan government and the Taliban even if it's questionable whether a reconciliation is possible.
"Look, the Taliban per se is not our enemy. That's critical," Biden said. "There is not a single statement that the president has ever made in any of our policy assertions that the Taliban is our enemy, because it threatens U.S. interests. If, in fact, the Taliban is able to collapse the existing government, which is cooperating with us in keeping the bad guys from being able to do damage to us, then that becomes a problem for us."
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obama
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