We've got to see a state where the Afghan government can handle its own day-to-day security.

An interim government was set up in Afghanistan. It included two women one of whom was Minister of Women's Affairs. Man who'd she have to show here ankles to to get that job?

We all hoped in 2001 that we could put in place an Afghan government under President Karzai that would be able to control the country make sure al-Qaeda didn't come back and make sure the Taliban wasn't resurging. It didn't work out.

When you decide to get involved in a military operation in a place like Syria you've got to be prepared as we learned from Iraq and Afghanistan to become the government and I'm not sure any country either the United States or I don't hear of anyone else who's willing to take on that responsibility.

As a 22-year Army Veteran who served in Operations Desert Storm and Iraqi Freedom and as a Civilian Advisor to the Afghan Army in Operation Enduring Freedom I understand both the gravity of giving the order and the challenge of carrying it out.

A fly cannot go in unless it stops somewhere therefore weapons fuel food money will not go to Afghanistan unless the neighbors of Afghanistan are working are cooperating either being themselves the origin or the transit.

The Afghans did not have sophisticated weapons like the Soviets did but with their faith they defeated a superpower.

The West has been able to bring Afghanistan a much better health service better education better roads a better economy though some have benefited more some have benefited less from that economic well-being in Afghanistan.

I don't think the Palestinian people or Afghan children or some other things I'm concerned about are at the top of other people's agendas - not right now when America is going through such a recession and people are suffering across the board financially. But I think all that will change.

Barack Obama's life was so much simpler in 2009. Back then he had refined the cold act of blaming others for the bad economy into an art form. Deficits? Blame Bush's tax cuts. Spending? Blame the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. No business investment? Blame Wall Street.