Talibs Emboldened by American Pullout from Afghanistan

Afghan officials and a top U.S. Marine general are squawking warnings that Barack Obama's scheduled deadline of July 2011 to begin withdrawing American troops from Afghanistan is giving the Taliban hope they can prevail.

If loud mouth generals could win America's wars, Afghanistan and Iraq would have been wrapped up during Bush's first term in office.   One thing these wars without end have taught us is that military outspokeness tends to run in inverse proportion to military competence.

Marine General James Conway is a true loudmouth and, hence, probably a military moron.   The Taliban, Jimbo, already expect to prevail.   They've been prevailing steadily since 2003 or haven't you been paying attention?   Whether the Americans begin pulling out in 2011 or 2021 doesn't matter much to the Talibs, they have nowhere else to go and all the time in the world.

Yes, Afghanistan is almost certain to descend into tribal warfare akin to civil war when the Americans eventually leave but that's simply a return to business as usual for a territory masquerading as a nation and beset by tribalism and warlordism.   It's not so much the Taliban as the complete lack of a viable, functioning, competent and honest central government that assures a resumption of the unresolved civil war we disrupted in 2001. 

When the house is burning to the ground, it's not helpful arguing about what colour to paint the kitchen.   General Conway is shooting off his mouth knowing he'll be safely retired well before Afghanistan collapses.   For all the talking they do isn't it curious that not one of these weasels can or will explain why they've accomplished less than nothing over the past five or six years?  Isn't it curious that not one of these buffoons can lay out a clear strategy for defeating the Taliban?  It's more than curious that not one of these comedians has ever laid out a timeline and stuck to it.  It's completely beyond them to even define "victory" over the Taliban much less predict when that will be achieved.  If they're just in it to mark time, might as well bring them home and put them on a parade square.