Former Soviet Union......I owe you an apology.....

[KansasVoter]

I was a dumb, arrogant American college student. I can remember sitting around the Union with other college kids making fun of how horrible the Soviet army must be to be getting their asses kicked in Afghanistan. We thought they were incompetent. I owe you an apology. We now know there is no way to win in Afghanistan. I am sorry for making fun of you.

The Soviet Union was in Afghanistan 9 years, we will be there much much longer. At least the Soviets knew when to leave.

[David__77]

1. You made fun of the Soviets in Afghanistan? Really?

As if the US did not get it's ass kicked in Vietnam? The Soviets, by comparison, did much better. And the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan state supported by Soviet troops actually functioned as a real state in much more territory than the current Islamic Republic of Afghanistan supported by the US/NATO troops.

[Sebastian Doyle]

2. And what's the other thing you remember about the Soviets in the 80's

...dictators in the last stages of death, assuring their fan club that they were in excellent health.

Maybe Paul McCartney should have done this one at the White House last month -------> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-pDm695R2U

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

3. They lost. We lost. They went broke. We're still working on going broke.

[BrklynLiberal]

7. Sure looks that way, doesn't it.....

It has been said that the fall of the USSR was in no small part due to the catastrophe in Afghanistan.

[rug]

4. It was the demise of the Soviet Union.

[roamer65]

9. ...and it will be the demise of the United States.

[mediaman007]

5. More than 20 years ago I read Ken Follett's "Lie Down with

Lions." Our situation in Afghanistan was predictable, especially in light of the way we walked out on them after the Russians pulled out.

There was no way the the British could control their empire. There is no way that we can control Iraq or Afghanistan. Time is on their side. Bush*/Cheney and the Neocons could not understand this. Our military should have known; Obama was sucked in because he wanted to endear himself to the military.

Our fight was never with the Taliban. We had a small group of terrorists and became mired in quicksand known as Afghanistan. If these people choose to live in the dark ages, we don't need to impose our society on them. Good luck getting out.

[KansasVoter]

6. Wow, interesting!

[RedCloud]

8. Many non Russians ran the USSR!

Lenin (Belarus)
Stalin (Georgia)
Khrushchev (Ukraine)

come to mind, maybe others.

Would the USA ever let a non USA guy run a New World Organization, say?

[Selatius]

10. We will go bankrupt long before those mountain tribesmen accept a foreign army on their land.

They'd rather continue fighting, and they have so far.

[KansasVoter]

11. And are smarter than we give them credit.