As disgusting as the Foley mess is - a congressman who is the head of a congressional committee focusing on abused and exploited children caught sending sexually suggestive emails to congressional pages (teenagers who were, arguably, under his supervision)(and I appreciate the irony of the situation), I am much more upset about the statements of Senator Frist in relation to the war in Afghanistan.

According to the Associated Press: Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist said yesterday that the Afghan war against Taliban guerrillas could never be won militarily and urged support for efforts to bring "people who call themselves Taliban" and their allies into the government.

The Tennessee Republican said he learned from briefings that Taliban fighters were too numerous and had too much popular support to be defeated on the battlefield.

"You need to bring them into a more transparent type of government," Frist said during a brief visit to a U.S. and Romanian military base in the southern Taliban stronghold of Qalat. "And if that's accomplished, we'll be successful."


I have a family member who was among the first U.S. troops in Afghanistan following 9-11, searching for Bin Laden and crawling around caves searching for weapons caches and Taliban fighters. For Frist to make this statement is so close to "cut and run", in my opinion, that it takes my breath away.

(I will add that as a lefty liberal totally opposed to the War in Iraq before it started, and believing it has been totally mismanaged, I do not believe we can leave Iraq in the condition it is in now, and will have to stay the course. I'd just like to see a better managed "course".)

By Cocoabutter on Wednesday, October 4, 2006 - 06:44 pm:

Honestly, I haven't heard this. Probably because all I am hearing about is Foley... FoleyFoleyFoleyFoley.....

By Vicki on Wednesday, October 4, 2006 - 07:58 pm:

I haven't heard about this either, but to be honest, I am tired of hearing about all of it!! I am so sick of most all politicians it isn't even funny!! If just one person would speak the truth and be on the up and up, I would be so tickled pink!!

By Ginny~moderator on Wednesday, October 4, 2006 - 08:47 pm:

You and me, Vicki, you and me - and a whole lot of other people, too.