by Derek Snow

Created on: March 01, 2007   Last Updated: April 19, 2007

Afghanistan not Iraq is and has since 9-11-2001 been the key to controlling the Taliban and Al Queda specifically and the turbulent region in general. Saddam Husein was contained to Central Iraq by United Nation "No Fly Zones", unable to threaten the Kurds in the North of his Country or the Shias in the South, much less the United States of America. Saddam was the sworn enemy of Iran and had them at a stalemate in the region. It was a grave error to invade Iraq and the responsibility lies with George W. Bush, his administration and the Republican Party. That is not only my opinion but that of the President's father George H.W. Bush who realized that not only was such an invasion impractical, it was unsound strategy.

The Taliban and Al Qaeda led by Osama bin Laden were in 2001 and remain today based in Afghanistan. Both of these entities were enemies to the Husein regime and unwelcome in Iraq where they had no bases of operation or training facilities prior to the American invasion in 2003. Had, after 9-11-2001, George W. Bush sent our armies in force to Afghanistan instead of Iraq the entire region would now be under control.

Instead, George Bush briefly committed troops to Afghanistan, occupied the major cities and declared victory, his standard public relations stunt. Recall the May 2003 episode when he strode across the flight deck of the USS Abraham Lincoln and declared "Mission Accomplished" in Iraq? After the declaration of the defeat of the Taliban in Afghanistan, Bush committed the major portion of our troops to the invasion and occupation of Iraq. He quickly converted that country into a terrorist training ground and facilitated a bloody civil war that is bankrupting the United States Treasury and depleting our military capabilities.

Meanwhile the Al Qaeda terrorists and Taliban fighters regrouped in the mountains of Afghanistan and are stronger than they were in 2001 and just fell short of assassinating Vice President Dick Cheney who was in the region to try and intimidate the Afghani and Pakistani governments into doing more to defeat the Taliban and find Osama bin Laden. Those governments have done all that they can do. They are powerless in the wild mountain regions of their respective territories.

What a debacle. The idea of sending any more troops to Iraq is ridiculous bordering on criminal misfeasance. The United States military presence in Iraq needs to be immediately relocated to Afghanistan and re-focused on locating, engaging and destroying

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