Essay talk:When it comes to peace, Barack Obama supporters are kidding themselves

Would "peace" even be a good idea if any candidate were promising it? I must admit I wasn't terribly in favour of the Afghanistan war but it's done now, and few would want the Taliban back in power. However, while the Afghani government is unable to extend the rule of law beyond the city limits of their own capital, it is vital we continue to do it for them however long this situation will last.

Iraq is another matter. They were, and can be again, a prosperous and well educated nation with substantial mineral wealth and an entrenched middle class. They've got an army and a reasonably functional civil administration. We need to get out and leave them to go to hell in their own way.

I can think of nothing worse than a USA that adopts an isolationist foreign policy, but continues to maintain its military spending. If you're going to spend that ridiculous sum year after year, it might as well be employed for something. Instead of a candidate promising peace, I'd far prefer a candidate who promised to listen to and co-operate with the rest of the world. --JeevesMkII 21:01, 19 September 2008 (EDT)

Jeeves - I would bet you any money that if we got in my time machine and travelled back to September 10th 2001 and asked Americans if they wanted to see the country invade Afghanistan and still be there seven years later with so little accomplished and no viable way out in order to get rid of the Taliban, the answer would be a resounding "no." Furthermore, what the Afghan government is incapable of extending beyond the Kabul city limits is nothing approaching the rule of law - see here and here for a quick couple of reports on the question of how women are doing under the new regime, and here and here for a couple of snapshots of the state of human rights in Afghanistan.

And Obama can "promise to listen to and co-operate with the rest of the world"--but I see no real reason to believe him.PFoster 21:31, 19 September 2008 (EDT)

If Obama can avoid causing any NEW wars, he'll be an improvement over Bush/McCain. --Gulik 18:48, 20 September 2008 (EDT)

What a difference a day makes. By Sept 12, 2001 a huge number of Americans were chomping at the bit to kill as many "diaper heads" as they could get ahold of despite the warnings that, It looks like another Viet Nam to me. I'll go with Obama in November because even one step in the right direction is . ..... well a step in the right direction. While America needs about 4,720 steps in the right direction to get to what I'd view as solid ground, "Even longest journey begins with first step." (Found in a fortune cookie recently.) Carptrash 19:01, 20 September 2008 (EDT)

Oh yes, how does Barack Obama fit into "our" mission statement? I am trying to get a firm grasp on it and it is proving to be more elusive than I'd at first imagined. Failure of imagination, I suppose. Carptrash 19:04, 20 September 2008 (EDT)