A realist is an idealist who's been mugged by Afghanistan

For any old dogs out there who remain faithfully leashed to the insanity of nation-building against a primitive nation's will, culture, religion, patriarchy, tribalism, ineradicable superstitions and resolute medievalism, it doesn't require much refashioning of one of the oldest dog's formulations to begin a mental recovery: A realist is an idealist who's been mugged by Afghanistan.

What an unspeakable horror, these last few days, as well as an irremediable future. " 'The mission requires us to spend time with our Afghan counterparts, and lately we haven’t been able to do that,' said one military official in the east who spoke on the condition of anonymity." Hence we've experienced a momentary breakdown in the permanent hopelessness of a "modern" Afghanistan; even before this breakdown, in-country journalists were filing story after story of "counterpart"-Taliban cooperation and collaboration -- stories depressingly reminiscent of South Vietnam and the Viet Cong.

The history of the U.S. presidency is saturated with chief executives who in rather short order turned to the primal concern of foreign affairs as a way of escaping the immutable burden of recalcitrant, tribalistic Congresses. But after three years of the diabolical Karzai and his devious allies and Karzai's equally villainous foes, President Obama is probably beginning to think that John Boehner, Eric Cantor and Mitch McConnell aren't so bad after all. 

Mr. President, we're begging you. Let's wrap up this abominable failure of nation-building -- now -- because its future is truly irremediable.

Comments

[SueMe]

I could not agree more, PM. That country is a lost cause.