I seem to recall Karzai, Afganistan's elected leader, has asked NATO for a quicker withdrawl on quite a few occasions. If NaTO's presence is not wanted by the person who it benefits the most, then how can one say we owe to the Afghanis to stay. Who are these Afganis who are standing up and asking NATO to stay? Is oil another reason to continue be there?

On another note, What ever happened to the California-based UNOCAL Corporationplan to construct a Central Asia Gas (CentGas) pipeline from Turkmenistan through western Afghanistan to Pakistan? (earlier proposed by Standard Oil-Russian oil interests, to secure an alternate, short, safe oil pipeline route from Russia through neighboring Afghanistan). (Wasn't Karzai a top adviser to UNOCAL during the negotiations with the Taliban to construct a Central Asia Gas (CentGas) pipeline from Turkmenistan through western Afghanistan to Pakistan?).