"What Obama has said over and over is that in taking our eye off the real threat in Afganistan and invading Iraq we have left our country more vulnerable, not less..." - Bobert

Is that what he has said Bobert?? If so I am now more convinced than ever that this "Presidential hopeful" is definitely as stupid as "Peanut" Carter and a damn sight more dangerous.

"The real threat in Afghanistan"??? - What threat in Afghanistan Bobert? The reality of the situation is that you have in Afghanistan and along the Afghan/Pakistan Border a bunch of geriatrics hiding in holes in the ground. Osama Bin Laden is now an irrelevance, he has been for years, his confirmed death or capture has long since been relegated to the "nice-to-know" category.

In the aftermath of 911 all of the intelligence agencies and the entire security apparatus in the US were tasked with evaluating and identifying the greatest threat that existed in the world to the United States of America. Did they come up with Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan - No they did not. What did they come up with? - An asymetric attack on mainland US involving WMD provided to an international terrorist organisation by a rogue regime or government hostile to the USA. Please note Bobert I have not mention a specific weapon in the identification of that threat, I have not mentioned a specific international terrorist group in the identification of that threat and I have not mentioned a specific rogue regime of government in the identification of that threat.

If, journalist Ahmed Rashid stated, "If the US had stayed focused and used a fraction of the resources that it is spending in Iraq that Afganistan could have been turned around in 5 years". Then I would venture to suggest that Ahmed Rashid is talking out of his arse, and that he wants to sell his book to a bunch of impressionable prats who want to crow about how their President got it wrong - Unfortunately for Mr Rashid and the impressionable prats, your President hasn't made such a bad job of things according to latest figures and reports.

"Instead, the Taliban has resurged." - Really Bobert?? Does Ahmed Rashid provide any evidence of this resurgence? Chased out of the very last town they controlled in Afghanistan earlier this year, since the beginning of 2007 they have lost over 7000 men, in fact their losses are so damaging that they have given up direct attacks on ISAF and US Forces:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2008/jun/01/military.afghanistan1

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/frontline/2062440/Afghanistan's-Taliban-insurgents-'on-brink-of-defeat'.html

"Iraq has been a complete and utter failure from every perspective..." - Eh apart from the fact that things seem to be getting better and better every day Bobert - Oh Bummer!!!!