How do you extricate yourself from a war that should have never been started?

I wish I had the answer to that question. Build a time machine perhaps. The shortsightedness of the people who started this mess is certainly apparent now that we have been at it for eight years and it is clear that there is no end in sight.

Time machine aside, I personally can see only four options for Afghanistan, none of them are viable.

1. The pretend it didn't happen option:
Walk away. Let the country go where it will and deal with the result the way is should have been dealt with.

2. The put it in a drawer option:
Vacuum pack Afghanistan and Pakistan together and economically isolate them and anyone who does business with them until the situation works itself out.

3. The Republican option:
Commit every able bodied soldier to the fight in Afghanistan and see how many more of our own people we can loose in the process.

4. The talk about it and do nothing option:
This seems to be where Washington is right now.

Personally, I would go for option 2 as the lesser of the available evils, if I can't have that, then option 1. In my opinion fighting a war is a lot like being sued, it is not about winning, it is all about loosing less than the other guy.

Life is a far too precious commodity to waste on war.

There are some things that will move even me out of a work induced stupor...

Joe Wilson shouts to Obama during speech: 'You lie'
First of all, this behavior in a public school from a child would not be tolerated.  WTF is going on in South Carolina?  Is this the best South Carolina can do?  Sweet Jesus, no wonder the GOP can only say no, yes has too many letters.  In this light, I am sure he didn't know how wrong he was because he doesn't have the mental capacity to read the bill he is opposing...

Democrats Recharged, GOP Unmoved By Obama
This is so like the GOP.  Lets look at the "Actions speak louder than words" view of reality.  The GOP was more than willing, even eager, to spend hundreds of billions of dollars, without thought to where the money was going to come from or who was going to pay for it, in order to kill hundreds of thousands of people in Iraq and Afghanistan.  They fought, bickered, and lied in order to justify this war without heed to wiser heads that called for calm and peace.  Now, given the opportunity to save tens of thousands of lives they fight, bicker, and even lie in order to keep it from happening.  So, if I read this right, from the GOP's point of view it is OK to kill people with our tax dollars, it is just not OK to keep them alive...