Stay in Afghanistan Because Clinton Says So?

I don't think so.

It may come as a shock to some people but not all Canadian liberals ask 'how high?' when Bill Clinton says 'jump'.

At a fundraiser in Kitcheher, Ontario on Thursday, Clinton urged Canadians to keep our troops in Afghanistan:

"I ask Canadians to disassociate whatever you think about Iraq and the mistakes made there from the security interests we all have in seeing a genuine Muslim moderate democracy prevail in Afghanistan," said Clinton.

"We may not be able to save it, but if we can, we should because we will all be at great risk if al-Qaeda can roam freely."
[...]
Clinton said the United States should send 8,000 more soldiers to the country to support the NATO-led mission. There are already about 18,000 American soldiers in Afghanistan, sent during the U.S.-led invasion following the Sept. 11 attacks.

"If we lose in Afghanistan and the Taliban come back, it will not only be a nightmare for the Afghan people, but it will create greater options of movement for the al-Qaeda leadership, and increase the likelihood that they will be able to mount and conduct more global terrorist operations."

Look, Bubba: the people you should be talking to are your Democratic buddies who are now in charge of congress. The Republicans have steadily been withdrawing troops and funding from Afghanistan hoping that NATO will clean up your country's mess there. It's time for the Democrats to fix those mistakes - not Canadians.

And, while Harper and Ignatieff seem quite content to mimick the US imperialists, only 19% of Canadians strongly approve of our mission there. We will not walk down the same deluded path the Americans have by trusting in empty rhetoric about exporting democracy to a place where those in charge have failed to lay out a strategic plan that is actually workable.

And we certainly won't stay in Afghanistan just because the Big Dog thinks we should.