Biden met with Hamid Karzai, a man he has had a rather stormy relationship with. However today, it seem to have all been swept under the carpet:

In a visit in 2007, as the two men discussed corruption in the Karzai government over a meal of lamb and rice, Mr. Biden, then a senator, infamously tossed his napkin down and announced "this dinner is over," after Mr. Karzai reportedly said corruption, if there was any, was not his fault.

"The United States, if the Afghan people want it, are prepared and we are not leaving in 2014," the vice president said during an unannounced visit to Kabul. "Hopefully we will have totally turned over to the Afghan security forces the ability to maintain the security of the country, but we are not leaving if you don’t want us to leave."

Mr. Biden said Mr. Karzai and his United States-led NATO allies are "finally all on the same page."

He also tried to reassure the Afghan people that it was not the United State’s intention to "govern or to nation-build."

Ah, but what is a little corruption between friends?? We have all thrown a tantrum over our lamb and rice at some point. The question is if these folks can maintain the security of their own country why should we stay there?? Why were we there in the first place and where the hell is bin Laden??

If all this is true that just begs the question of just what the hell we are doing there. It appears to me we are desperately clinging to the vision of a failed, disgraced former President that dropped the ball on our mission in Afghanistan long ago in a feeble attempt to prove him right. I am afraid all these folks are indeed on the same page, a page in the American checkbook:

Between 2009 and 2010, the average monthly cost of the Iraq war fell $1.8 billion to $5.4 billion, a 25% drop. But increased spending in Afghanistan ate up that savings–and a bit more. Monthly costs rose $2.2 billion to $5.7, billion, a 63% increase.

Overall, CRS estimates that the U.S. has spent $1.1 trillion on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

http://blogs.wsj.com/...

Which brings about a couple of questions. What has all this wasted money accomplished?? What are we expecting it to accomplish in the future?? The window of opportunity for success was missed by the last President and no matter how much money we sink into that region nothing will ever be able to justify that failure and waste. Why keep trying??

Look at our country today. We have people fighting and shooting each other because some of us wish to provide healthcare for everyone in this country. Our infrastructure is falling to pieces at the very time we need to create jobs rebuilding it. We have politicians debating among themselves how to steal our Social Security and Medicare while they themselves take a huge tax break and have handsome pensions and healthcare on our tab.

We keep hearing how we cannot afford this and that. They keep telling us how we are too broke to invest in our own country and people, well except the rich ones. We are told how programs that benefit the middle and lower classes simply cannot be maintained and we cannot use our country's money to better our country's people and everyone's lot in life.

At the same time we are "investing" or better yet wasting over a trillion dollars to blow up and rebuild two countries in the middle-east over and over again. We seem to have no problem investing in their people and nations in trying to maintain their government there. With all that is happening in our country is it not time that we start investing in ourselves for once??

This war is no more right with a Democrat in the White House than it was with a Republican. In fact it is almost more insane for someone to continue a policy they know is a failure than for someone to implement it. It is time for us to end this sorry chapter in American history not extend it indefinately and no matter who runs Washington it is damn well time these politicians realized it and did it.

If they tell us we cannot afford ourselves how can we ever be able to continue affording others??