''it is unacceptable that our soldiers are killed by our allies'' Yes it is fun to bash the French but at this time they are the smart ones and we are the dumb azzzezz to stay in an unwinnable war that is achieving absolutely nothing! According to the NYT. Karzai is negotiating with the Obama admin to stay until 2024!...............

''General Allen suggested that American forces could remain in the country beyond 2014 despite President Obama’s pledge to withdraw them by then. The commander’s remarks amounted to the most emphatic signal to date that the United States military intended to secure a presence in the country, possibly for years.'' The French were dragged into this quagmire by the USA and are smart to det the hell out!

NYT: ''the Afghan government, led by Mr. Karzai, had a new deadline in mind, calling for political and military support until 2024''........Remember Obama wanted to keep our troops in Iraq indefinitely the Iraqis balked but Obama has a willing partner in Afghanistan.

liberty&freedom LuVr,

You're right. According to the American LtCol, killings of allied troops by Afghan troops are isolated incidents, but that is not true according to this article by the New York Times:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/46068115/ns/world_news-the_new_york_times/

The problem is a serious one that calls for investigation. People who make fun of the French forget that they are our allies and have been in this with us from the beginning. They have been sacrificing, too, their troops deserve as much respect as ours do.

At least the French have wised up. When will WE??????????

If the Afghan military cannot be trusted, this war is finished it seems. There is insanity going on in Afghanistan.

I think it's time to wrap this up and move on.

How long will the American People allow this Unholy War to continue? Blood Money

There need not be a long discussion of the pros and cons ten long years and the generals say we are half way there if we are lucky so that means 15 more years and the generals get fat and rich rotating into "consultant" work to the Army they form special groups to advise the command and retire into or go into a consultation group and get rich this is what this is all about.

The poor and misguided are lead to slaughter and of course are de-humanized turned into animals and beasts. We pay "private contractors" tens of thousands even hundreds of thousands to perpetuate war crimes so our war monger generals can stay clean what an unseemly racket this is with no regard for the American soldier and the families of our brave slaughtered for the benefit of corporate America. The murderous greed continues with no plan to employ the thousands to be released into civilian life. No why have a plan we have used and abused them in war and that is all we want from them now they are on their own and the country especially our "special interests" as the Dick Cheneys reap tens of millions in blood money yes millions of blood money are in his pockets now thank soldier now on your way.

His pockets are stuffed and over-flowing with dollar bills falling to the ground for he never expected so many millions to come his way. Cheney commits treason and unlike Bradley Manning facing 60 years Cheney and pals fly the world in private jets and check into the nearest Ritz-Carlton for the night. They must be up early to count the latest take in of blood money there is so much of tax payer money flowing into their pockets they can't keep count. Yes he is stuffed with millions upon tens of millions and what great deeds did he do to deserve all of these millions?

Cheney is only one cheap blood money whore the service and our congress is full of fat cats the American people are left to twist in the wind while they luxuriate in splendor ah the splendor of it all and they sleep very well at night. Counting dollars as you and I count so many sheep Cheney and friends count packets of millions in their dreams.

Get out now honor "The Promise" to withdraw and deal with the "downside" of peace more millionaires and Billionaires from these phony for profit wars then in anytime in recorded modern history. Yes in history no known group as these newly "rich" have our historians noted a similar phenomenon, very curious while the country suffers these war mongers PROFIT.

Now they rotate into "consultants" in all the services and of course the Industrial war machine keeps well oiled with the rotation from service to consultant...all is corrupt the top brass are all corrupt all but a few are honorable but they take our sons and daughters to their deaths to fatten their bank accounts and they know this is a phony for profit war.

When will we leave? When will the promise to withdraw be kept? How long? Stop this "for profit wars" what is keeping us there but for the riches that flow to the elite the real elite and the hand maidens of death and war.

How Long?

WAR IS A RACKET - WAR IS A RACKET - IT IS NOT WHAT IT SEEMS - BLOOD MONEY -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5neS4a3RKMU

WAR IS A RACKET WATCH THIS VIDEO AND SEE A SMALL GLIMPSE OF REALITY...only the idiocy of the masses keeps these Facists in power and in untold wealth made on the deaths of our soldiers.

French are a lot smarter than Americans when it comes to seeing no point in continuing their efforts in Afghanistan. It is a total waste of money and lives.

buckwyld

You can always count on the French to give up when the going gets tough

Sooooooo.............they should shoot the Afghan soldiers back????.

Ever head of the resistance ?? You are a ignorant moron !

The war was won because of the french resistance ! Also, why did americans waited to get involved, after 10 millions people were killed ??? Because they knew they would be next ! Americans never defend another nation if it is not for their own interests !

Wow...I always used to laugh about the French Ministry of Defense having a recording in Russian saying, "We Surrender, We Surrender", but really, this is too much.

The French murder rate has been classified by Interpol, so perhaps the troops will come home to defend France from the criminals. Well perhaps the word "defend" is a little harsh...

I bet buckwyld is like the millions of Americans who didn't even knew France had troops in Afghanistan, and one of the very few countries remaining there. Ask them also who was the first head of state to visit the US after 9/11 and most will answer Tony Blair. (Answer: it was Jacques Chirac, before even the no-flight zone was lifted).

Such ignorance is outstanding. France is USA's most loyal ally, somewhat I think more and more undeservedly.

Next time you wonder why people hate us around the world, thank a buckwyld, they are the true hero in the war against our best allies.

French and British are first to jump in the wars. When the going gets tough, French run and British hide!

Peter, if you look at the French people of today, they do not have the stomach to send more than a token force and even those forces were not sent as combat forces, but "Peace Keepers". Peace keeping is not what is needed, but combat troops.

The French and German forces are under manned and unable to conduct serious offensive operations DUE TO domestic politics.

And by the way, I don't know what circles you run in, but where ever I go, most people love Americans.

buckwyld,

Maybe the French got it right.

We should get out of there.

MOSinEUR, you're knowledge is incorrect. They are there as combat troops.

buckwyld

They have been there since the get go ( Afghan). They helped us during our Revolutionary War. I am not always in agreement with their Government, but then again I am not always in agreement with our own. That does not mean I dislike the French people, if it did I would have to dislike myself (I am American). And I do not believe based on history that the French have turned on any Allie in the passed.

The French must realize, if the Islamicists are not confronted, then 911 is a victory. What's next? The Eifel tower? The Islamicists will eat France from the inside out. Charles Martel can tell you that Tours is not the end of this conflict, and until the entire nation of France becomes Muslim, the are regarded by the Koran and Hadith as Kufr, or subjects of terror.

@lookatmycastle

There are times, such as today, when I partly agree with your statement. I agree that the US doesn't go into war unless it is in our interest - however, the millions of dead Russian soldiers on the Eastern Front and Hitler's idiocy of starting a two-front war, where millions of Americans, Canadians and British soldiers died fighting, are the reason we are not speaking German today. What the French resistance did cannot be undervalued, however, the French army rolled over at the sight of the first panzer, and the government left France, let's not forget that most of the French resistance was Jewish or people who sympathized with the plight of Jews under Hitler. Your average French person thought the Nazi's were particularly good at running a government (ask any old-timer in Vichy today).

So, while I have agreed with you at other times as well - and I have lived in France, I find that you are always argumentative (even when you agree), you call people names (which makes you look bad and violates the CoH). Additionally, while some of your statements are valid points to the discussion at hand, you simply cannot state them without stating your contempt (ad nauseum) for others ideas, etc. Look at your call name - it does not remind me of French sophistication, or the bravery of the French resistance - it is that of a true narcissist.

When you are saying basically what others are saying, you shouldn't beat them over the head simply because they are American- that was actually something I learned living in France. French rudeness is conducted in silence.

I would put Australia at the top of the list of countries that will hitch a ride on our war train. Those dudes go anywhere we go, and they are really good at it. I was really impressed with the Australian enlisted soldiers and their officers were top notch.

The problem is (and you have heard this yourselves) "we cannot jut pull out and admit defeat after spending all of our soldier's lives"as well as the nation's capital.......................In war there is profit. In profit we will find the 1% preaching to others that this is in the "National Interest" to fight wars somewhere else so that the "enemy" does not attack us. More More and More Defense spending...................this is like welfare for the 1%.........and btw we don't have money to do anything needed at home.........but we are safe as our bridges, roads and schools crumble.

can anyone on the web, tell me in a short sentence, why the hell are we in the middle of a Muslim civil war, we got Bin_laden, get the hell out of Dodge now.Pakistan no longer allows us to ship supply to our troops through Pakistan, we are now paying 6 times more to supply even less troops, when will Washington wake up !

...were not sent as combat forces, but "Peace Keepers".

MOSinEUR,

You are talking nonsense. The French forces in Afghanistan, unlike the Germans, are under no restrictions on military operations.

They are fourth, after US, UK, and Canada, in casualties.

Sarkozy has guts. He is a strong Leader for France.

He is very perceptive on how the Afghan War is not winnable, but more of a blood bath for the Ally Soldiers.

Why Does Pres. Obama keep hanging on to this War--11 years out?

Where is the progress of getting schools built for the majority of the Illiterate there. They seem to like their life there as well, fighting with the other Tribes.

Russia could not win the War in the Past, neither can the US.

What is there to prove? Mindboggling---it's not worth losing valuable US Military Soldiers to a bunch of Taliban dirtbags.

Negotiations witht the Taliban are still in the works. When will our President realize this is not Disney World.

France only cares about France. It is not wrong, but it is a historically selfish power. And yes, moreso than others.

The French can be brave when they give two flying f**s about it, shown by the Free French in WWII (as opposed to the Vichy French 'surrender monkeys'). But in their military deployments with NATO, they DON'T EVEN FIGHT, sometimes, when flying sorties or deploying to a combat zone. They really don't pull their weight in NATO and so, while certainly a western power, and I actually agree with a lot of the positions they take, remember, they are distinctly more selfish than most nations out there.

Hey, they fought for the removal of sanctions from Saddam Hussein because they were secretly working oil contracts with him for when those sanctions got lifted. It wasn't out of the goodness of their hearts.

Just get the hell out of there. How can you establish democracy in a country where the vast majority of population has no slightest idea what tolerance is ? A civil war will start as soon as the West is out of Afghanistan.

screw the middle east.. screw Isreal... get the hell out and stay the hell out.

hey it wasn't my idea to carve out a piece of land in the middle of Palestine and hand it over to Hebrews.. Anyone with a partial brain knew the end results and my tax money shouldn't be spent on anything but domestic interests until all debts are paid and the majority are working again making real wages with real benefits

I have family that served in Afghanistan. The French forces are well trained and incredibly professional!

My cousin's American unit was full of gang bangers and loser-dropouts from the South that disrespected the locals and made life harder for his entire base because of their endless racist and bigoted nonsense pissing off the locals and other soldiers.

The French forces were far more personable and could move far more seamlessly through areas thanks to the mutual respect they got from the locals...meanwhile our idiot American forces are taking videos as they urinate on their kills.

Such disrespect

If we want everyone to consider us better than the terrorist enemy that cares not for blowing up innocent civilians and using children as shields, we need to not act like heartless pigs disrespecting someone that willingly throws themselves into the crosshairs of the most powerful military force the world has ever seen!

As an American, I get sick of my fellow countrymen bashing our allies. I don't care what levels of combat or contributions are made, if they are made, it is a bonus. The UK, France, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, Italy, Spain, Poland, Czech, Slovak, Canadian, Austrailians and many I am forgetting are all valiant allies and do what they can. They have to worry about political fallout just like our politicians do. They have economies in worse shape than ours. Yet, they all still back us. They are our allies. Do not demean what they do.

To any of you Europeans or Canadians or Aussies out there, from one simple American, I say thank you to helping our effort after 9/11. You have been truly great friends.

A lot of "lets give up" minded people out there I see. I guess we will need another reminder here on our home soil to sway the thinking of U.S. citizens again.

All I can say, is "Damn.....that's the costliest way to learn !

The "real cost" of 9/11 attacks are estimated to be over $1,000,000,000,000

It seems that we borrowed something like that from the Chinese. Could it be that 9/11 was a leading factor to our stock market crash a few years later? I think so.

It is better to keep Al Qaida on the run, than have another "inevitable" attack. Think not about the hundreds innocent lives lost, but the 1,000's of innocent lives saved.

As for the French, I say shame on you for giving a victory to Al Qaida and the Taliban.

sonar guy

A lot of "lets give up" minded people out there I see. I guess we will need another reminder here on our home soil to sway the thinking of U.S. citizens again.

Some sure, but I'm only suggesting we pull out of Afghanistan and focus on actually combating the terrorist cells rather than waste our time trying to pull nomads and opium farmers out of the Bronze Age!

9/11 was a combination of a lot of different issues, some directly related to lax security, and more based on poor international political decisions made 10 and 20 years prior.

Direct issues:

• No communication between law enforcement agencies on investigations (local, FBI and CIA had the necessary pieces to figure out the 9/11 plot, but their lack of communication ensured failure as each tried to reinvent the wheel)
• Poor border security and terrible due-diligence regarding fraudulent and expired student visas and following up on suspicious activity.
• Clinton not invading OBL's stronghold(s) in Afghanistan after the bombing of the USS Cole or the Kenya Embassy

Indirect Issues:

• US supports the Saudi Royal Family (which supported OBL, the Taliban and Al Quaida)
• US used Pakistan and Afghanistan as a proxy to fight the Russians.
• US support of other despots in Middle East, adding to the number of recruits for terrorist organizations.

We didn't and continue to not handle things properly, it's time to fix this mess by pulling out, pulling funding from terrorist supporting-nations, and making an agreement with all allied countries to uniformly attack targets that are brimming with terrorist activity.

sonar,

The French fought along side us for 10 years. They were not even attacked! What more do you want from them? They did not let anyone win. They were loyal allies who stood by us for 10 long years in a battle they had no stake in.

I say shame on you for condemning their great contribution.

Buckwyld says,

"You can always count on the French to give up when the going gets tough."

Really buckwheat,really.

You ever heard of Charlemagne,Joan of Arc,Louis IV,Napoleon.And how about the French troops and navy that saved us from defeat in the Revolutionary War,the very reason we are a nation today.The French were kicking a** and taking names before there was even a thought of our country.

But if that is too far back for you,how about more modern times:

WWI- France had the lions share of allied dead and wounded,and the lions share of the fighting,we just don't hear much about it.With a much smaller population to get the manpower from.

1,697,800 French dead /4,266,000 French wounded.

117,465 American dead/ 205,690 American wounded

WW2- After barely replacing the manpower lost in WW1 and the industrial damage.They were invaded by the Nazis.Even with being occupied,you had the resistance and Free French forces fighting on the allied side,and still losing more people than we did.

567,600 French dead /418,500 American dead

French Indochina War (Vietnam).- Even in the Vietnam wars,the French lost more troops fighting than we did.

75,581 French dead

America in Vietnam War-

58,220 American dead

Most of the French didn't buy the reasons for invading Iraq,and that is where this French bashing come's from.But after 10 years,trillions of dollars spent,4,500 dead and countless wounded.How many of our own people today,approve of the way that war turned out.

The French have always been our ally in NATO,which is why they are there fighting in Afghanistan.They don't have any real interests there.It wasn't a part of France's old Colonial Empire.Only to do their duty as a NATO pardner drew them to Afghanistan.Now that they see they are in the in the midst of a civil war,instead of a global war on terrorism.They are asking themselves what are they doing there.Hopefully,that's a question our government and people will start asking

@ Uncle Bob 512

To be fair, a number of the French casualties were due to France being invaded in WWII and the fact that they were at war with Germany for almost 6 years before the US got involved.

It would probably be more a apropos to adjust for years at war to account for the lag in WWI and WWII.

True,the length of time was different but if they had not fought that time,and lost those men.We might have lost many more,battling for what they were able to keep.But my point was that the French have suffered as a part of the allied force easily as much as any other did,and in WW1 far more.That to accuse them of not being brave soldiers is not shown by history.

@ Uncle Bob 512

No argument there. I was just being a nitpicking hairsplitter

^_^

Uncle Bob 512, the French are brave, courageous and wonderful people all right, and we like their women (well mostly). And many of their glorious past and present genes live on through the genes of Americans. Was just an ethnocentric pissing contest, which I won because my dad's cojones are bigger than your dad's cojones. :-))

If american troops are so superior to other nations how come they have not won a war since ww2 . Korea is still in dispute, Viet Nam, American ran away, Iraq America ran away & Now in Afganistan, America can hardly wait to get out.

I dont get it... America starts a war & then runs away when the going gets tough. If one start a war lets finish it to WIN.... Wars are Won or Lost ... there are no halfsies

Best solution. Add Pakistan to Afghanistan list!

It's comments like yours: Truth2uNow4u & Jonathan, that get our soldiers killed and make the rest of the world hate us.

Afghanistan is already in the stone age...hate to break it to you. They've seen more than 40 years of continuous war and bloodshed.

The mistake made by the US...supporting the Saudis and using Afghanistan and Pakistan as a proxy to fight the Russians.

Where do you think OBL came from? He was a member of the Saudi Royal Family, trained in the 1980's Afghan war against Russia, and proceeded to use his family's fortune to build his own paramilitary force and terrorist group.

If the US didn't support the Saudi royal pigs, OBL would not have had the funding to create Al Quaida even if he wanted to!

If we went the extra step and didn't get involved in Afghanistan against Russia in the 1980's. Pakistan wouldn't have gotten the bomb, Afghanistan would just be a smoldering hole growing opium like it has been since the 1700's, just without well funded/armed terrorist training camps and Iran and Iraq would just be little feuding fiefdoms no different than the millenia prior.

Western technology and short-sighted greed has brought these lunatics into powerful positions. If only we would have learned after the Iranian Revolution that supporting corrupt dictators for short-term gains has far greater long-term repercussions!

There's two ways to win a tug of war...one is to pull harder (which we're trying)...the other is to drop the rope.

DROP THE ROPE!

The Frence are right this time and I won't blame them at all if they pull their troops out, the Americans should pull out ASAP as well if they have some brain left in Washington,this has nothing to do with cut and run,let us fight them here at home if we have too.The Frence might have to do the same, time will tell. What we are doing in this sandbox is a waste of time,waste of our troops who get blown up by our so called Afganistan friends while they try to train them and build schools they don't want. I say it again the Frence are right and so is my grandson now 26 years old, serviced in Iraq and Afganistan and made it home is now very depressed and is getting some mental help at the moment he tells me "grandpa you are right this is not the war you were in, the Frence did not try to kill you when you came there to free them". I hope my grandson gets out of his depression soon,they are working on his problem right now.

They have cut and run every time. Most useless military on the planet.

Ernie,

"They have cut and run every time. Most useless military on the planet."

If that's true, then how in the world did they build an empire stretching from North Africa through the Middle East and into Southeast Asia? I think you need to read a bit more about the history of France.

Mickey, perhaps all the strong breeding stock got killed off in all the wars. Nothing to replenish population other than limp wrists.

Darwin...proved right, once again.

mike-283147 is like the millions of Americans who didn't even knew France had troops in Afghanistan, and one of the very few countries remaining there. Ask them also who was the first head of state to visit the US after 9/11 and most will answer Tony Blair. (Answer: it was Jacques Chirac, before even the no-flight zone was lifted).

Such ignorance is outstanding. France is USA's most loyal ally, somewhat I think more and more undeservedly.

Next time you wonder why people hate us around the world, thank a buckwyld, they are the true heroes in the war against our best allies.

MOSinEUR,

"Darwin...proved right, once again."

If your Darwinian theory is correct, then the United States is next with all the wars we have been fighting.

It would be nice if we actually helped people who did not have "things" the US was interested in - the Horn of Africa is in a severe drought, they sought help before a food shortage would emerge, we ignored them - we sent aid after thousands had died (tens of millions currently face a crisis). Everyone has heard of the massacre of the Tutsi people, NATO was there, but they were not allowed to intervene? So we had soldiers there, watching children get their arms cut off, women raped, etc but we didn't do a thing.

Are Iraqi's better off now? The women certainly aren't. What about Afghanistan? Same story. The women and children always suffer. The actions of some of our soldiers have made us the target of aggression, that cannot be denied.

The French have a right to pull out and given the state of affairs in France (just downgraded, etc), I think they are making a wise decision - one that we should also make.

It's our money fighting these wars, I'd rather be helping people around the globe, instead of 'policing' them - especially because our idea of "policing" starts with a bombing, ends in a regime change that is usually worse for the people who actually have to live there - but good for the US, until we feel that country needs a new regime change. We and the Western countries have meddled in other nations on every continent to the detriment of the people there - and we don't seem to care. If we don't care about the civilians in other countries, why do people think our government really cares about the average US citizen?

...the French are cutting and running...

No, they are not. Sarkozy said that he is suspending all training programs and military operations involving Afghan soldiers. And he is right, how can you fight alongside somebody who might shoot you in the back ?

@ PeterB-778417

Reminiscent of the South Vietnamese that basically had no will to fight for a corrupt dictator.

Many of these people in Afghanistan don't care for any Western forces being there. You can't fight for the freedom of someone else when they have no will to fight for themselves.

These people don't appreciate freedom, they come from a culture that expects to just replace one corrupt despot with another every 50 years or so. They tremble against the most intimidating force immediately in their midst. If you roll a tank through their town to chase out the scum, they tremble at you and follow your will, but if they are visited in the night and their families are threatened by another force, they won't hesitate to put that bomb under their street the next day and work in the field.

It's time to go. Karzai is making nice with the Taliban and we got rid of OBL (FINALLY). Karzai will be upside down and inside out in 5 years no matter what. The best thing we can do is just pull ALL funding from the Middle East in general and raise our guard for the next 25-30 years while we bleed them dry of our support. They will resume their internal conflicts rather quickly when we stop distracting them.

Way too many people are making money off this war....The defense contractors are making 10s of billions of dollars....Halliburton-Cheney? Sound familiar?

Wonder how long we would have been in this war if there had been a "draft"....

War profiteering? Is that like Republican capitalism? Heck, we had more defense contractors in Iraq than we had soldiers....What a joke!

Its really bad when the French have more balls than the United States.

Now our generals want us to be there for at least another 10 years>.....As they said in World War 2 about Patton (by his soldiers).....His guts and our blood.

Very true, Rom. Both of these wars (Iraq and Afghanistan) are a total scam.

whoa, not so fast Max, not totally. 9/11 did happen, with some tremors before that. But fighting a terrorist-resistance war with normally deployed ground troops is a costly business( and a cost is often a revenue for some). I believe we should only have quick smart and friendly low number ground troops to have a presence and to .......... the ....... and then drone or snipe them. I mean if our government really wanted an all out war in Afghanistan they could reinstate the draft and fine comb the country North to South, East to West and back again, while the enemy is on the other side of the borders. We're fighting shadows.

Paranoid much?

Persevere if it should not take a long discussion, why did you write so much?

How long will the American People allow this Unholy War to continue? Blood Money

...and how many times are you going to post this same tiresome message?

Perhaps he will post it until people will listen. Whether you like it or not, he is correct.

I find that I get repetitive when the truth of a situation is buried and the "nuke everyone else" crowd is out in force!

The idea of peace sells, but no one is buying. War sells.

One still shouldn't give up real HOPE in peace, no matter how many people seem to want to beat a war drum.

Perhaps he will post it until people will listen. Whether you like it or not, he is correct.

Words spoken many times are not multiplied in either meaning or truth, black kettle.

Moreover, his writing is chaotic, and factually wrong. We may have used, and continue to use private contractors in Afghanistan. But the bulk of the fighting and the dying is being done by soldiers in uniforms, or by insurgents.

There is a reason why we came to Afghanistan. I would argue that with Osama bin Laden dead, that reason is no longer valid, and that it is time to leave. But our involvement there was not born just of greed or insensate fury. It was born of the attacks which occurred on 9/11/2001.

Get out now honor "The Promise" to withdraw and deal with the "downside" of peace more millionaires and Billionaires from these phony for profit wars then in anytime in recorded modern history.

The above is a fair sample of his poor writing, his faulty logic and his false assumptions.

The distribution of wealth has been shifting towards the super rich for over 25 years, ever since the Reagan tax reforms of the 1980s. For the majority of those intervening years, our nation has been at peace. If you or Persevere are looking for a cause, look at the changing tax laws and trade and labor laws favoring the outsourcing of jobs.

But according to the previous administration, it's our god-given right to invade any country we want, without provocation. Weren't you listening to all the patriotic songs by Toby Keith???

@William

Yeah that was ridiculous, I couldn't believe they did that. Sad thing is Ron Paul is the only electable one of the bunch. He is the only honest one up there and will cut spending across the board. Unlike the rest that just want to take away all social programs. Independents will not vote for any of the other guys as well. The way the GOP is going it looks like it's going to be 4 more years of Obummer.

(Sorry 'vine readers for detracting from the article)

And our current president drops bombs where he wants. The president two presidents ago liked to drop bombs too. What is your point, dman? Is it that presidents like to start wars? If so, then it applies to many, many presidents in our history.

William,

Well put. It is sad how many Americans are actually AFRAID to give peace a chance. There are many idiots that have been eating the BS the media has been spoon feeding them for so long that they beleive if we stopped being the police of the world that it will fall apart. These same morons are ALWAYS ignorant of American history.

Hey stupid, did you read the article. This was the second time, buy the people the French are there to help. Sounds to me like they are smart. Second time they are attacked by their allies they decide they are not wanted. US is the dumb ones.

Please don't be so upset with Americans rushing overseas to save ungrateful countries. It was American war mongers that landed troops on Omaha beach and took back your country from the Germans.

The backlash from 2001 is not so much from the French staying out of the war as it was their decision not to allow their ally's planes to fly over its airspace. More than staying out of Iraq, the French seemed determined to try and hurt the US invasion.

Just as you do not like it when people lump your countrymen into one pot and say that the French give up easy, please don't call all Americans War Mongers!! My father, step father, grandfather, uncle and myself have all served in the military and all of us look at war as a last resort. Our government, and specifically the Bush/Cheney war machine, took advantage of our anger after 9/11 to forced a war down our throats that most Americans new almost immediately was wrong. We elected a new president almost solely because he promised to bring our troops home. He had the opportunity to continue restart the war machine again with Libya, and he exercised restraint, allowed Nato and the Arabs to take the lead, and stopped short of invading another country. Now the country is looking strongly at a candidate that promises to stop all preemptive wars. I appreciate and respect the commitment of the French soldiers in Afghanistan. I respect their governments decision to remove their troops, and I think its well beyond time we did it ourselves.

@lookatmycastle

I am not a war monger. I didn't agree with Desert Storm, or Operation Freedom or the war in Afghanistan. I am against sanctioning Iran or having our military fight Iran.

Please read everyone's post - not just the "nuke everyone" posters.

Again, I agree with your statements but not your tone.

For everyone who contends that Bush and Cheney forces a war down the throats of Americans, I would ask you to tell me the vote count from both parties to authorize the actions. Compare that vote and speeches to those surrounding the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

And, if you want to say that they lied to congress, then you must admit that all of those who voted in favor of the war were pretty stupid.

Good one Frank!

recent fire whiuch destroyed France's white flag factory, effectively paralysing their military.

I can't help myself:

Did you see the new French made swiss army knife???

It has 18 whiteflags and a corkscrew!!

An old and worn out joke that I would have found funny at one time. In this case though France has the right idea. You'll notice that Karzai hasn't said a word about these killings or any other killings of allied soldiers by Afghan forces. You might have also noticed that he raises a big stink any time he can blame America or other allied forces with the killing of his poor innocent civilians. You might have also noticed that Karzai said he would side with Pakistan should there be a conflict between the U.S. and Pakistan. Sarkozy has it right and I question why the U.S. hasn't yet come to the same conclusion. Leave Karzai and his big mouth to fight the battle for Afghanistan. In fact, the U.S. should be racing France for the door.

The French tank has seven gears, Six Reverse and One Forward this one is in case they are attacked from the rear..

Allies??????? Did you say allies Katheryn?.......The micro second we stop giving them billions in aid our relationship will be over........

I agree with you Rom, but I do not think allies is the same thing as friends. I was interpreting an ally to be someone that you need to work with to achieve an end result.

good point..i agree

That's right, we are way better educated than americans and do not get brainwashed as easy as american right wingers, do.

Please explain to me how the Le Pen family (French neo-nazi party) has managed to have seats in the French Parliament for over a decade? Jean-Marie almost won the election in 2002 and Marine, while seemingly less racist than her father is actually just more cunning. She calms down the rhetoric but the message is the same. I wonder how many seats she will take in the upcoming election. You have the National Front - in your government, I don't think that is "way" smarter. Both countries have problems, France is not Utopia - neither is the US.

lookatmycastle - you sound as inadequate as that silly short man you have as president who wears booster heal's so he can be in a photo with his lovely tall trophy wife.