Afghani President Karzai would side against U.S.

President Obama released a statement last week saying that Operation Iraqi Freedom is over.  The war in Iraq is over and all the American troops that are currently fighting there will be home by Christmas.  I really do not think this is realistic, as there are more than 30,000 troops in Iraq right now.  I think the president made a false statement that is going to cause heartbreak for the hundreds of military families who will be expecting their loved one to be home by Christmas, when in reality they will not be.

Before I continue, let me say that every war we are in is important in some way.  American life is in jeopardy wherever our soldiers are fighting and we should never take any conflict of that sort lightly.  Approximately 4,400 American lives have been lost in Operation Iraqi Freedom, and nearly 32,000 have been wounded.  This is a sacrifice no American should ever forget.  However, if President Obama is determined to end our wars abroad, I think his first priority should have been pulling us out of Afghanistan.  This is especially true due to the fact that the president of Afghanistan would have no problem siding with Pakistan if they and the U.S. went to war.

Afghani President Hamid Karzai, in an interview on the Pakistani television network Geo, said, "If there is war between Pakistan and America, we will stand by Pakistan."  He placed his hand on his heart and described Pakistan as a "brother" country.  All this, after we have been helping build his nation for ten years.  Our military intervention is the reason he was elected Afghani president in the country's first democratic election.

Some are saying that his statement is due to the fact that other leaders in the Middle East are calling him a "lap dog" of the United States.  He has non-Pashtun groups in that area that are concerned about him getting too friendly with Pakistan.  He is being pulled from all sides, yes, and while the possibility of war between the U.S. and Pakistan is remote, this was still a rude thing to say.  We have been building his nation for ten years!  American lives have been sacrificed in an attempt to turn Afghanistan into a free, democratic nation.  We have made huge strides, but everything is not completed.  However, most signs are pointing to the fact that this is as good as it's going to get anytime soon.  This is proven by the fact that the Afghani president cannot choose whose side he wants to be on.  The United States, who has built his country from the ground up, or Pakistan, who is in his area and has possibly harbored terrorists.  He wants an alliance with Pakistan (maybe he thinks they can help protect Afghanistan from Iran in the future?) but he also wants the United States' help as he has been receiving it.  Honestly, I believe we have done all we can in Afghanistan, and the fact that their president openly says he would side against us in a war after all we have done there, is unacceptable.  We have done all we can, and I think this is the statement that should have sealed the deal to pull us out.  But no, we are pulling out of Iraq; we do not need to be there, either.  I think, though, that President Obama needs to look ahead a bit and see what could happen by staying in a country like Afghanistan.  I am glad he is taking measures to bring our troops home from Iraq.  I also think, though, that he needs to be making efforts to bring us out of Afghanistan as well.  After these comments, I would say, the sooner the better.