The War In Afghanistan

I was just thinking...

Earlier this month the "war" in Afghanistan became the longest war in US history. While there is still some speculation that Vietnam was still technically longer, the point remains the same: We've been in Afghanistan for too long. We went into the country with the mission of stopping al-Qaeda, the Taliban, and Osama Bin Laden, in direct response to the attacks of September 11th, 2001. Of course, the US was successful in capturing/killing many al-Qaeda leaders, but the leaders have been replaced, and bin Laden still remains on the lam, or possibly dead. Meanwhile, the Taliban and al-Qaeda have moved on to other countries in the Middle East, mainly Pakistan, rendering the war unsuccessful. The plan was to establish democracy in Afghanistan, which is relatively true now, but they have a corrupt government, where elections are fixed. Technically, that should be none of the US's concern, but they remain the military force there, and are needed for the security of the turbulent nation. There is no end in sight, the US troop numbers are being increased, not decreased. The withdrawl plans seem like an "if" at this point. Like Vietnam, we have gotten ourselves into a war that was not winnable, and that would be difficult to leave.
It is sad, but most of my life as a knowledgeable member of a nation has been in a war time. I disagree with the pursuit of war, however I am realistic and understand that there is no negotiating with organizations like al-Qaeda, and that sometimes war is unavoidable, and not a one-sided decision to make.
I do support our troops, I do not support war. The war in Afghanistan needs to end. Wars need to end. Unfortunately, there are too many people in this world who cannot simply be talked out of violence, and that is how wars begin. I realize a world without war is a utopia, and unrealistic, but ending a conflict like Afghanistan shouldn't be too much to ask.
Afghanistan is a similar war to Vietnam, yet, it does not receive the same sort of strong feelings as Vietnam got. Protests and rallies against the war were daily occurrences in the 60's, but there is hardly anything now. Does nobody care?

The best way to support our troops is to bring them home.