Jun 21st 2014, 1:15:25
Okay, you can argue about Iraq, arming the mujahideen, Saudi Arabia, etc., but when you suggest that we should have left the Taliban in power in Afghanistan, you go too far. The Taliban didn't have to face an American invasion. They could have kept their backwoods country, but they were too intertwined with Al Qaeda to kick AQ out and hand Osama over to the US after 9/11. Shall we go backwards in time to certain prominent historic events?
Attack on Pearl Harbor...US enters war against Japan and Germany. Germany escapes nuclear attack only by surrendering before the weapons were ready. Japan is not so lucky.
RMS Lusitania is sunk with Americans on board. The US demands Germany cease U-Boat warfare on commercial vessels regardless of flag. Zimmerman Telegram suggest German-Mexican alliance to divide America's attention and help Mexico recover lost territory. US eventually enters war and brings overwhelming force to bare on Germany...Germany surrenders.
USS Maine sinks in Havanna. US declares war on Spain and seizes Cuba, Puerto Rico, the Philippines, and Guam.
Confederate forces fire on Fort Sumter and ignite America's bloodiest war. Confederate states brought to ruin, Atlanta GA burned to the ground.
Mexican forces attack American forces in disputed territory. US declares war, takes over Mexico and forces Mexico to surrender the northern half of their claimed territories.
A long and well established series of massive retaliations when another government wrongs the US should have convinced the Taliban that their survival depended on rejecting Al Qaeda and handing Osama bin Laden over. Instead, they left the US with little other choice than removing them and their terrorist allies from power.