Barack Obama And The Taliban

As reported by The Associated Press, Afghanistan's insurgent Taliban marked the eighth anniversary of the U.S. invasion Wednesday saying they have no "agenda" to harm other countries but would continue fighting as long as America and its allies remain in the troubled nation.

The Taliban insistence that it would pose no threat to other countries appeared aimed at countering suspicions that the Islamist movement would support al-Qaida's global jihad if they returned to power. Supporters of the war fear that al-Qaida would regain its once-dominant position in Afghanistan if the Taliban topple the U.S.-backed Afghan government.

In an Internet statement Wednesday obtained by the SITE Institute, a U.S. group that monitors terror messages, the Taliban said their goal was "independence and establishment of an Islamic system."

"We did not have any agenda to harm other countries including Europe, nor we have such agenda today," the group said. "Still, if you want to turn the country of the proud and pious Afghans into a colony, then know that we have an unwavering determination and have braced for a prolonged war."

The statement came on the anniversary of the U.S. invasion that ousted the Taliban for harboring al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden. U.S. forces first launched airstrikes into Afghanistan on Oct. 7, 2001, less than a month after al-Qaida carried out the Sept. 11 attacks in Washington and New York.

The Taliban called on foreign forces to leave, an unlikely event despite heated debate in the U.S. over how to quell the conflict.

"We call on the American rulers and their allies of the coalition once again to put an end to the game of occupying Afghanistan and killing the Afghans under unsubstantiated pretexts," the statement said.

"At the beginning, they were promising they will withdraw within three months, in their words, after eliminating the so-called terrorism," the statement said, referring to U.S. forces. "Contrarily, today, eight years (later) ... they have built up hundreds of military bases in Afghanistan and Iraq."

"We believed from day one that this is not a war between democracy and the so-called terrorism, but rather a war between the Western colonialism and the freedom-loving nationalist and Islamist forces," the statement said.

I believe that as long as Obama keeps dragging his feet on Afghanistan, the Taliban will grow stronger. The stronger it gets, the more likely Americans - particularly moderates and independents - will stop supporting the Afghan war. Americans can only take losing soldiers for so long until we break.

However, it is in Obama's 2012 re-election interest to make the war in Afghanistan look like an un-winnable war. What he probably believes he needs to do right now is the bare minimum with regards to Afghanistan, all the while giving the appearance that he tried to make educated decisions on winning the war.

I believe that a large part of Obama's 2012 re-election campaign will be based on bringing home the troops from Afghanistan. This will likely cause the Republican challenger to declare his willingness to fight an un-winnable war. Obama's message on Afghanistan will be essentially the same as that which he used for Iraq during the 2008 Presidential campaign. This will solidify his base, and possibly bring war-weary moderates and independents to support him with their vote.

The difference is that because of his own inaction today, he will be able give the appearance that he tried reason and strategy to resolve the Afghanistan conflict. He will make it appear that it is Bush's fault for losing Afghanistan, because Bush focused too many resources on the war in Iraq, thus leaving Obama no option.