“With Al Qaeda largely displaced from the country, but franchised in other locations, Afghanistan does not carry a strategic value that justifies 100,000 American troops and a $100 billion per year cost, especially given current fiscal constraints.”

I don't often agree with Senator Lugar, but it's hard to argue with this position. We've been there since November, 2001. We defeated the Taliban once then allowed them to regroup when we moved our troops to Iraq. We went there to defeat Al Quaeda and kill Bin Laden.

Mission accomplished. Now let's bring them home.

There will always be non-believers no matter what once the photo is released.

The Afghan war is winding down, with a Spring offensive now being launched to attempt to secure the region around Kabul.

If a more stable government, meanwhile, can emerge without the two-faced, corrupt leader now in place, and a pacified and committed moderate wing of the Taliban in participation, there may be a chance for peace in a nation that hasn't known it for more than 40 years.

The worst possible result is a reversion to the oppressive, tyrannical and reactionary government that sheltered bin Laden and al Quaeda.

President Obama seems to be approaching the issue with again, moderation and thoughtfulness. He campaigned on completing the task in this country, and won the nation's endorsement of his approach.

They wouldn't have to slap my face. I'd give up the info for a Diet Coke.

Were done we won...Am i the only one who remembers what was Osama's main objective .... ".to break the USA financially" ! If congress allows the budget to keep them there....then maybe we need all new congress members...They have the power to end the wars ...all of them ! If Obama wont ....I think as taxpayers we would rather see "OUR" children have Social Security and Medicare then allowing congress to give away billions that allow foreign countries leaders to build mansions on "OUR" dime and live the Republican lifestyle !

I'm still trying to figure out whay a "Kenyan", that is 'secretley' a Muslim, want to find and kill Osama?????

Out of respect, we should drag ourselves out of Afghanistan; ASAP.

All these Johnny-come-late-(lies) do not have the power or authority to make these decisions. That belong to the president and his advisors. Too many people want to have their way without any substantive justifications. Sunday nights action has proven to be a "Game Changer" for everyone and the toxic talking heads are pulling out all the stops to down play President Obama and giving credit to anyone but the president.

We went into Afghanastan to try to capture Osama Bin Laden, the man who gave the 911 order. We went into Afghanastan to push the Taliban out of power as they gave safe haven to Bin Laden. Those were our stated goals. We have accomplished all our stated goals BUT have no exit strategy for excising ourselves out of the war. The Afghan government does not want us there....just the billions we send them The government is as corrupt as they came and Karzai refuses to do any thing about it. Why are we there at all...Al Queda went to Iraq and other countries to fight us. The Taliban should be taken on by Afghan troops...after 9 or 10 years, they should be able to shoulder tghe fight. We have no national interest in being there. Why can't we examine if this war is in our national interest and get out.

form an international seal team and let them be the international police. get out of war, all war, and get out now!

 I want to see the body, that body was in the ocean quicker than the Mafia dumps bodys.

Our goverment doesnt move that fast, Islamic funeral, translated and dumped in then ocean before the barrels on the guns had time to cool.

I dont belive any of it. I dont even know if I will believe it when I see the pictures

bla, bla bla, bla, bla, bla bla, bla, bla, bla bla, bla, bla, bla bla, bla, bla, bla bla, bla, bla, bla bla, bla, bla, bla bla, bla, bla, bla bla, bla, bla, bla bla, bla, bla, bla bla, bla, bla, bla bla, bla, bla, bla bla, bla, bla, bla bla, bla, bla, bla bla, bla, bla, bla bla, bla, bla, bla bla, bla, bla, bla bla, bla, bla, bla bla, bla, bla, bla bla, bla, bla, bla bla, bla, bla, bla bla, bla, bla, bla bla, bla, bla, bla bla, bla, bla, bla bla, bla, bla, bla bla, bla, bla, bla bla, bla, bla, bla bla, bla, bla, bla bla, bla, bla, bla bla, bla, bla, bla bla, bla, bla, bla bla, bla, bla, bla bla, bla, bla, bla bla, bla, bla, bla bla, bla, bla, bla bla, bla, bla, bla bla, bla, bla, bla bla, bla, bla, bla bla, bla, bla, bla bla, bla, bla, bla bla, bla, bla, bla bla, bla, bla, bla bla, bla, bla, bla bla, bla, bla, bla bla, bla, bla, bla bla, bla, bla, bla bla, bla, bla, bla bla, bla, bla, bla bla, bla, bla, bla bla, bla, bla, bla bla, bla, bla, bla bla, bla, bla, bla bla, bla, bla, bla bla, bla, bla, bla bla, bla, bla, bla bla, bla, bla, bla bla, bla, bla, bla bla, bla, bla, bla bla, bla, bla, bla bla, bla, bla, bla bla, bla, bla, bla bla, bla, bla, bla bla, bla, bla, bla bla, bla, bla, bla bla, bla, bla, bla bla, bla, bla, bla bla, bla, bla, bla bla, bla, bla, bla bla, bla, bla, bla bla, bla, bla, bla bla, bla, bla, bla bla, bla, bla, bla bla, bla, bla, bla bla, bla, bla, bla bla, bla, bla, bla bla, bla, bla, bla bla, bla, bla, bla bla, bla, bla, bla bla, bla, bla, bla bla, bla, bla, bla bla, bla, bla, bla bla, bla, bla, bla bla, bla, bla, bla bla, bla, bla, bla bla, bla, bla, bla bla, bla, bla, bla bla, bla, bla, bla bla, bla, bla, bla bla, bla, bla, bla bla, bla, bla, bla bla, bla, bla, bla bla, bla, bla, bla bla, bla, bla, bla bla, bla, bla, bla bla, bla, bla, bla bla, bla, bla, bla bla, bla, bla, bla bla, bla, bla, bla bla, bla, bla, bla bla, bla, bla, bla bla, bla,

Thanks Lou! When the Republican/Tea-baggers talk that is all I hear!

Release the photos I think the world needs to see what happens to terrorist.

Americans again, suckered and focused on a picture of a dead terrorist when they should be educating themselves on the real motives behind both the Soviet and US invasions of Afghanistan. But like most folks who watch TV news which purposefully avoids discussing the real strategic justifications of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, they want the to keep the situation simple.

Here is the real picture and history Americans should demand their government admit to about our invasion of Afghanistan!

Oh, and one more reason the US will not ever pull out of Afghanistan was reveled just last year.

U.S. Identifies Vast Mineral Riches in Afghanistan

But wait a minute, since this story broke in the New York Times June 13, 2010, just four days later, this story hit the Huffington Post.

Afghanistan Mineral Wealth May Be Greater Than Estimated: $3 Trillion

These trillions in natural resources and the pornographic profits made by US oil and energy producing corporations such as Halliburton, which relocated in headquarters out of the United States to Dubai in 2007 to avoid among other things, paying US taxes on the billions of dollars in contracts awarded it by the federal government, reflects the history of corruption of this industry. A detailed description of this industries felonious business conduct can be discovered by reading the benchmark book about this industry entitled: The Prize: The Epic Quest for Oil, Money & Power by Daniel Yergin.

Oh, and in case folks think US troops will withdraw from Iraq, they need to read this story and realize that US foreign policy in the middle east is driven by US oil corporations, not the national security of the United States.

Iraqi Oil: More Plentiful Than Thought

Tracking the money, Energy corporations contribute and spend on lobbying in DC, it is chilling apparent that the federal government (Congress), both Democrats and Republicans are driving our nation into financial collapse to ensure that wall street banks, and energy industry corporations make huge profits off taxpayers. The corruption of both industry's dates back to their genesis and the history of profit seeking by corporations and their pursuit of such has led to the demise of multiple nations since at least 1500.

The story of those empires and the inevitable collapse of the USA in the very near future can be understood by reading this book. The Rise and Fall of the Grat Powers: Economic Change and Military Conflict from 1500 to 2000 by Paul Kennedy.

The US economy has already collapsed due to the continual unconstitutional funding of the US Army, and Air Force and the wars our government has engaged in for the direct and sole benefit of Corporations.

More compelling proof of the corporation of corporate oil and the assoicated energy industry is reveled in this interview and article published on June 2010. It is past time that the federal govenment enact tough legislation and government oversight agencies write regulations that make it punishable by death for their corporate corruption which in many case results in the deaths of workers.

This is not soicalism, it is good business practices and justice for those of us whose labor and spending enables these corrupt corporations to thrive at our expense.

Proof Of Corruption & The BP Oil Spill

June 09, 2010 06:30 PM EDT

A whistleblower who spent 22 years as an audit supervisor at the Minerals Management Service, part of the Interior Department, left the agency in 2006, decided to speak out because he was "tired of seeing us not being able to do the job we were hired to do." Bobby Maxwell supervised up to a 100 auditors who were responsible for seeing the oil companies paid the government royalties from their leases.

He spent a lot of time actually in the Gulf of Mexico on offshore rigs alongside of government inspectors who were responsible for checking among other things rig safety and compliance with federal regulations.. What Maxwell saw was appalling. Everything from out right corruption and bribery to letting the oil company employees fill out their reports in pencil then later writing over it.

In an interview with CNN, Maxell described the wide spread culture of corruption within the MMS operations and in oil companies like BP. It seems like Oil Companies made standard operating procedure of escaping regulation and oversight by using every method they could to corrupt government officials and employees. He says the organization is full of ex and future oil company employees. One gets the picture of a totally incestuous business model between the government regulators and the oil companies.

Over the years we have always heard of “government corruption” and very little discussion of the businesses that instigate, promote and benefit from it. You always hear of government corruption in countries like Mexico and China, but we are conditioned never to fully think of America as having a corrupt government. I don’t think our government is corrupt but, business in America certainly is and they count on buying off underpaid government workers and politicians. We have even legitimized it in our culture to the point we think we are different than other countries.

Why do we tolerate it business and government corruption? Because we are trained to accept it. We have even incorporated words in our language, created by corporations with the full intention of legitimizing a major portion of it. That way we accept a little more each year until the business world is expected to cheat and lie. We could not have government corruption unless we had dishonest business practices and allowed ourselves into dividing in our minds things into such made up propaganda like “shrewd investment activity”, “creative financial instruments.” Actually the word “investment” has been re-created in our cultural brainwashing to cover up out right bribery and other unethical and otherwise criminal activity.

Read the source article linked below and watch its embeded video, it will tell of many oil company / government related corruptions and legal cases related to offshore drilling in the recent past that, in a way, all contributed to the BP Oil Spill in the Gulf Of Mexico.

Sex, Drug Use and Graft Cited in Interior Department

By CHARLIE SAVAGE

Published: September 10, 2008

WASHINGTON — As Congress prepares to debate expansion of drilling in taxpayer-owned coastal waters, the Interior Department agency that collects oil and gas royalties has been caught up in a wide-ranging ethics scandal — including allegations of financial self-dealing, accepting gifts from energy companies, cocaine use and sexual misconduct.

In three reports delivered to Congress on Wednesday, the department’s inspector general, Earl E. Devaney, found wrongdoing by a dozen current and former employees of the Minerals Management Service, which collects about $10 billion in royalties annually and is one of the government’s largest sources of revenue other than taxes.

“A culture of ethical failure” pervades the agency, Mr. Devaney wrote in a cover memo.

The reports portray a dysfunctional organization that has been riddled with conflicts of interest, unprofessional behavior and a free-for-all atmosphere for much of the Bush administration’s watch.

The highest-ranking official criticized in the reports is Lucy Q. Denett, the former associate director of minerals revenue management, who retired earlier this year as the inquiry was progressing.

The investigations are the latest installment in a series of scathing inquiries into the program’s management and competence in recent years. While previous reports have focused on problems the agency had in collecting millions of dollars owed to the Treasury, and hinted at personal misconduct, the new reports go far beyond any previous study in revealing serious concerns with the integrity and behavior of the agency’s officials.

In one of the new reports, investigators concluded that Ms. Denett worked with two aides to steer a lucrative consulting contract to one of the aides after he retired, violating competitive procurement rules.

Two other reports focus on “a culture of substance abuse and promiscuity” in the service’s royalty-in-kind program. That part of the agency collects about $4 billion a year in oil and gas rather than cash royalties.

Based in suburban Denver and modeled to operate like a private sector energy company, the decade-old royalty-in-kind program sells oil and gas on the open market. Its employees are subject to government ethics rules, such as restrictions on taking gifts from people and companies with whom they conduct official business.

One of the reports says that the officials viewed themselves as exempt from those limits, indulging themselves in the expense-account-fueled world of oil and gas executives.

The reports provoked immediate outrage in Congress. Senator Ron Wyden, an Oregon Democrat who is chairman of the Public Lands and Forests Subcommittee, accused the Minerals Management Service on the Senate floor Wednesday of “a pattern of abuses and mismanagement” that is costing taxpayers billions.

And Senator Bill Nelson, Democrat of Florida, suggested that Congress should not lift its ban on offshore drilling — a hot-button issue in his state — because of the problems identified.

The report says that eight officials in the royalty program accepted gifts from energy companies whose value exceeded limits set by ethics rules — including golf, ski and paintball outings; meals and drinks; and tickets to a Toby Keith concert, a Houston Texans football game and a Colorado Rockies baseball game.

The investigation also concluded that several of the officials “frequently consumed alcohol at industry functions, had used cocaine and marijuana, and had sexual relationships with oil and gas company representatives.”

The investigation separately found that the program’s manager mixed official and personal business. In sometimes lurid detail, the report also accuses him of having intimate relations with two subord

In late 2002, when he was about to retire, Mr. Mayberry drafted a “statement of work” for a consulting contract to perform essentially identical functions to his own. He then retired, started a company, and in June 2003 won the contract with the help of Ms. Denett and Milton Dial, another friend at the agency.

Danny Onorato, the lawyer representing Mr. Mayberry, said his client had a sentencing date in November, but added that “we are not interested in having Mr. Mayberry speak.”

The inspector general also urged the administration to take action against several of the officials in the royalty-in-kind program who accepted gifts from the oil companies, by firing them or banning them for life from certain positions. Several have already been transferred out of the program but remain on the government payroll, the report said.

But two of the highest-ranking officials who were subjects of the investigations will apparently escape penalty. Both retired during the investigation, rendering them safe from any administrative punishment, and the Justice Department has declined to prosecute them on the charges suggested by the inspector general.

One of them is Ms. Denett, who oversaw the Denver-based royalty-in-kind program from Washington. The report contends that she manipulated the contracting process to steer the consulting work to Mr. Mayberry, her friend and former special assistant.

Six other companies submitted bids for the contract, spending more than $90,000 on their proposals. The report said an Interior Department procurement lawyer described the arrangement as one in which “the fix is in throughout — this is tainted from the beginning, that is totally improper.”

Ms. Denett did not return a message left at her home on Wednesday with her husband, Paul A. Denett, who was the top procurement official in the White House Office of Management and Budget until he resigned this month. He declined to comment.

But the report quotes Ms. Denett repeatedly telling investigators that in retrospect she had made a “very poor” decision. She also told them that “she had been preoccupied with a very stressful personal issue at the time,” which the report did not describe.

The other high-ranking official the Justice Department has declined to prosecute is Gregory W. Smith, the former program director of the royalty-in-kind program. Mr. Smith worked in Colorado and reported to Ms. Denett. He retired in 2007.

The report said that Mr. Smith improperly used his position with the royalty program to get an outside consulting job helping a technical services firm seek deals with oil and gas companies with which he was also conducting official business.

The report accused Mr. Smith of improperly accepting gifts from the oil and gas industry, of engaging in sex with two subordinates and of using cocaine that he purchased from his secretary or her boyfriend several times a year between 2002 and 2005. He sometimes asked for the drugs and received them in his office during work hours, the report said.

The report also said that Mr. Smith lied to investigators about these and other incidents, and that he urged the two women subordinates to mislead the investigators as well.

In discussions with investigators, the report said, Mr. Smith acknowledged buying cocaine from his secretary and having a sexual encounter with her at her home, but he denied discussing drugs at work. He also denied telling anyone to lie, saying that he only told people that “no one has a right to know what I do on my personal time.”

The report omits any response from Mr. Smith about allegations of sexual misconduct with another female subordinate.

Mr. Smith on Wednesday referred questions to his lawyer, Steve Peters, who said he had not yet seen the report. But he lauded Mr. Smith’s work with the royalty-in-kind program.

“Greg Smith was a loyal, dedicated employee of the federal government for more than 28 years, and notwithstanding the unfair and in many respects inaccurate allegations in today’s report, Greg is very proud of what he accomplished — and he should be,” Mr. Peters said. A Justice Department spokeswoman, Laura Sweeney, declined to explain why prosecutors chose not to bring charges against Ms. Denett or Mr. Smith, citing departmental policy.

We need to turn Afghanistan over to Nato if at all possible, and get our troups back home.

The U.S. can no longer afford to police the world. Afghanistan and that area of the world need to fix their own problems Democratically.

If thats means Russia, China, Iraq, whomever so be it!

Were done we won...Am i the only one who remembers what was Osama's main objective .... ".to break the USA financially" ! If congress allows the budget to keep them there....then maybe we need all new congress members...They have the power to end the wars ...all of them ! If Obama wont ....I think as taxpayers we would rather see "OUR" children have Social Security and Medicare then allowing congress to give away billions that allow foreign countries leaders to build mansions on "OUR" dime and live the Republican lifestyle !

It has just been announced that the WH will not release the pics of OBL. Good,smart

move by the President. Guarantees we will be hearing more about this during the

ensuing election cycle.