On this board the prevailing wisdom on Afghanistan followed the party line. Empower the Northern Alliance, and the oppressed peoples suffering under the Taliban would rise up, elect a democratic government, schools would reopen, women would vote, and all would be well.

The propaganda disseminated in the US was that Taliban was not a government of the people, who were just waiting for an excuse to form a democracy. The US was not "nation building", had no interest in a puppet government, just wanted democracy.

Those of us who pointed out (accurately) that it would be chaos and no democracy were jeered by the jingoists who believed the Bush Administration propaganda.

Do you think they'll learn, and maybe question the party line next time, the same party line that sold them out on Afghanistan?

Nope!

Iraq is another snake pit, as you pointed out. But what makes it so attractive is that GWB can loot the country even if Saddam is in hiding. And, clearly, obviously, all GWB wants is loot.

If it were about protecting the US, OBL is the target. If it's about oil, Saddam is the target. That's not rocket science.

Arf