Billions more wasted on Afghanistan

"I am confident General Petraeus and the troops will succeed in Afghanistan, if given the time, space and resources they need," said Rep. Howard P. "Buck" McKeon (Calif.), as a $37 billion bill to fund the Afghan war passed on Tuesday.

Exactly how much time, Mr McKeon, is needed? This is already the longest war that America has ever fought. Can you even define realistic success, Mr. McKeon? And what resources are you talking about? We are fighting guys in robes with state-of-the-art weapons and still can't break the back of the Taliban. What resources aren't we providing, Mr. McKeon?

It seems to me that certain politicians either like being at war or don't want to admit that their party's president started a conflict that can't be won. Yes, McKeon is a Republican. This is the same party that claims to stand for fiscal conservatism and reducing the deficit -- a party that seems to think, as a friend of mine says, that "blowing up rocks" in a third-world country is good use of money we don't have.

No foreign military, dating back centuries, has ever succeeded in Afghanistan. What makes American politicians think we can endlessly fund a losing cause during one of the worst economic junctures in our history? What does our Democratic president, who inexplicably backs the funding for the war, know that we don't? How can we continue losing lives in a primitive country that has through the ages refused to help itself? The Taliban thrive because there is a lack internal resistance. Is that our problem?

If we left Afghanistan tomorrow, would the Taliban attack America? It seems unclear what the threat is that requires such a massive occupying army that never leaves and rarely makes much progress. Yes, we know the Taliban are bad guys. If they harbor terrorists who plot against America, we can deal with that in a more targeted, less expensive manner. But to have a massive military presence in a backwards, corrupt nation that has nothing but hatred for us is simply incomprehensible to anyone paying attention.

The fact that this bill passed is more evidence that Americans are asleep.