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Before taking office, tensions between the US and Iran were heading toward a US strike.  Somehow Obama stopped or at least greatly slowed a nuclear-arms race that would have been started by Iran, with other counties, such as Saudi Arabia, joining in.  This without threatening war with Iran, unlike under Bush.  Obama even got Russia on board with sanctions, instead of somewhat siding with and somewhat arming Iran.  However, in Afghanistan, Obama is jumping into the quicksand.  Though there are a few good signs of hope there that most have missed, that I will get into later. 

The Johnson Administration started out with a lot of idealism and the Great Society programs, which all went up in smoke because of Vietnam. 

Under Bush, the Russian and US nukes were still under hair-trigger alert.  Besides an accident, bin Laden always dreams of getting new people to fight with each other, Sunnis and Shiites, suicide attacks in minority enclaves in Kurdistan, trying to create tit-for-tat-violence there as well, and instead of thanking Denmark for refusing to send troops to the Afghan War, Al Qaeda was at the forefront of the cartoon controversy, maybe even dreaming of Muslims kicked out of being polluted by European ideas.  Whether others note it or not, setting off an accidental nuclear war between Russia and the US was something bin Laden must have craved for.  Perhaps more than having fancy new weapons of his own.  It is conceivable though I guess not likely that Obama's election averted this total disaster.  Off the subject, another conceivable total disaster was when General Musharrah in 2001 withdrew Pakistani troops from the Kashmire border during escalating skirmishes with India.  Whatever Obama and before him Bush did wrong, no absolute disasters have yet occurred.

The Christmas Day airplane suicide bombing attempt, announced to the world that all the US weapons in Yemen, meant it was US's war, despite the fact that the US hadn't helped to set up the present Yemen Government.  This, to get militant Muslims, and they hoped, not so militant ones to tie in together Iraq, Afghanistan and Yemen into a package of belief that the US is trying to own the Muslim word.  So far, Obama's statements have been cautious instead of taking the bait, of an all-out war in Yemen.  Al Qaeda, and sometimes ordinary Muslims, believe that the US never voluntarily leaves, since US troops are still in Korea almost 60 years after the tensions started.  US troops still pushing US culture and values on the Koreans.  Hastening US withdrawal out of Iraq is something the peace movement can maybe successfully encourage Obama to do.  And the US troops now coming home from Korea as well would get in the way of the mind-set al Qaeda is pushing on the Muslim world.  Anyway it is clear that if the Christmas Day attempt happened under Bush or most presidents the reaction would have been much more shill, and a wider group of people would be in the government's radar. 

However, this doesn't apply to Afghanistan.  President Obama shows no sign of realizing that Afghanistan can be quicksand, the way Vietnam was to Johnson.  Although there are a few signs that something has changed.  When Obama, at West Point, announced sending more troops, he also changed the rhetoric from "defeating Taliban's core" to "reverse the Taliban's momentum and deny it the ability to overthrow the government". This as backdoor negotiations are going on including with Taliban Chief Mullah Omar.  The above material noted by Shibil Siddiqi in Foreign Policy in Focus and Just Foreign Policy and David Ignatius writing in the Washington Post.  Shibil Siddiqi spent years in Afghanistan indirectly working for the UN. 

Obama also befriending any Taliban fighter willing to renounce al Qaeda, basically change sides.  However, if the renouncements of al Qaeda get vague enough, basically politely asking the al Qaeda recruits to stay out of Afghanistan.  Most of al Qaeda is already out of Afghanistan and in Pakistan, where al Qaeda thinks its suicide bombers can be more effective.  It is possible that the war in Afghanistan can quickly end with somewhat vague statements by all of al Qaeda in exchange for a quick US withdrawal.  This, al Qaeda will sabotage or ignore, if they are vague enough. 

Ominously there is a problem if a cease-fire occurs. There was an earlier peace move in the Swat Valley in Pakistan that Obama signed onto, to allow Sharia Law there.  This didn't last.  But it also presented a problem for us in the US as well.  Both hawks and doves, condemned that peace move, and as matters now stand will jointly condemn any future cease-fire in Afghanistan that will include Sharia Law in Kabul.  How can ordinary doves image that the US could just get out of Afghanistan in several weeks without at best Sharia Law quickly coming to Kabul and at worst revenge attacks and chaos mixed in? 

There is something amazing going on.  Obama has a policy that he alone supports.  He has a narrow goal of stopping al Qaeda's appeal.  Some in the West want to fight in Afghanistan so women can go to school and not have to wear a veil.  This it turns out is not always what it seems.  In US dominated areas of Afghanistan a drug lord can demand that a pretty young non-veiled thing marry him or get severely whipped.  If he was a lesser official or soldier he would have just raped her, and her relatives jailed on trumped up charges if they complained.  Neocons who support Israel want the US to fight with Hamas and Hezbollah, or give a green light for Israel to do it, and attack Iran as well.  So Obama has his own foreign policy that belongs to him alone.  But all those with the war fever, Obama is now stirring up, would be very disappointed if they discover that the US ends up helping to keep the peace temporary while Sharia Law is being imposed on Kabul with the US troops helping cool those in Kabul crying "No", preventing the chaos and revenge killings that would have otherwise be taking place. 

Bin Laden believes in permanent war as long as there is a divided world, so there is no way for Obama to just make peace with al Qaeda like he wants to do with others. 

There is one thing that is particularly strange.  There is one other US politician whose statements on al Qaeda sound like Obama's.  That is Senator Arlen Specter.  Ironically he one of the three senators who indicated they might vote against surge supplemental funding.   Senator Robert Byrd who is almost incapacitated, and Bernie Sanders who has been making cautious comments. 

The following are quotes by Pennsylvania Senator Specter:  "I oppose sending 30,000 additional American troops to Afghanistan because I am not persuaded that it is indispensable in our fight against Al Qaeda. If it was, I would support an increase because we have to do whatever it takes to defeat Al Qaeda since they're out to annihilate us. But if Al Qaeda can operate out of Yemen or Somalia, why fight in Afghanistan where no one has succeeded?" . . .  "I disagree with the President's two key assumptions: that we can transfer responsibility to Afghanistan after 18 months and that our NATO allies will make a significant contribution. It is unrealistic to expect the United States to be out in 18 months so there is really no exit strategy. This venture is not worth so many American lives or the billions it will add to our deficit."

Specter could have added, Al Qaeda claims it will bankrupt the US like it did the Soviet Union.  Our economy is much stronger but our smart weapons that save a few US soldiers' lives cost a fortune.  The VA is spending much on artificial limps that behave more and more like the original, and Obama now treating disabled veterans with respect, all this costs money as the quicksand of Afghanistan is destined to make more and more of the locals in Afghanistan to hate us. 

A historic bright spot happened in Jordan.  In 2005 there was a lot of al Qaeda attacks in Jordan until it attacked a wedding party.  Queen Noor then organized the people of Jordan into anti-al Qaeda demonstrations and rallies, being on TV every night.  She didn't call for nonviolently resisting al Qaeda, but she was given no power or influence over the police or army.  Al Qaeda agreed to leave Jordan alone, and incredible hasn't attacked Jordan since then.  So Jordan so far won a battle with very little direct force.  Sadly the Internet has criticism of Queen Noor for supposedly being a hypocrite, for not mentioning previous female suicide terror attempts.  I hope a commentor to this article can post a link to her inspiring words.  There is also the Daniel Pearl Foundation, named after the News Correspondent Daniel Pearl who was lured to Pakistan, gruesomely tortured and beheaded in front of the camera.  The Foundation had interfaith peace prayer services and conferences, and still has annual peace concerts, but it wants to call itself being for peace and doesn't want to use the concept fighting al Qaeda with nonviolent force.  But it has done a lot to challenge the image of a dead suicide bomber as an inspiration. 

In Canada a legislator who is a Muslim organized the Muslim community to keep track of any of their kids playing around with extremism as they traditionally watch their kids against playing around with alcohol and drugs.  I wonder if word of mouth in the Muslim Communities has something to due with two fathers turning over the names of their kids to the US government.  This, not traditionally done with drugs or a man endangering his wife or a neighbor.  In Spain, al Qaeda set off backpack bombs on the Mildred commuter trains, to change the then upcoming election results.  However it was soon discovered that the bombing was in the planning stage before Spain ever sent troops to Afghanistan, making Spanish Muslims think the attack was really against Spain's warn relationship with moderate Muslim countries of North Africa.  Al Qaeda members were caught, several committing or trying to commit suicide rather than be taken alive, killing one police officer and injuring several more who were trying to arrest them.  When the US claims it got important al Qaeda leaders in Guantanamo it is probably wrong except for the few who are alive against their permission.  Spanish Muslim clerics on the anniversary of the Madrid bombing declared bin Laden a heretic against Islam.  Al Fadl, an x-Jihadest in Saudi Arabia, did the same and blamed bin Laden not the US for the deaths in Iraq and Afghanistan. 

Bush cut down on al Qaeda's appeal when he finally removed US Troops from Saudi Arabia in 2003.  People forget that this was bin Laden's first justification, and perhaps the main reason he was angry before 9/11.  Obama cut down al Qaeda's appeal considerably when he want along with Sharia Law being set up in the Swat Valley.  Of course peace between Israel and it's neighbors would do likewise.  Even the nonviolent Buddhist monks in Burma getting somewhere would lessen the belief that suicide bombing is the way to solve things.  It doesn't have to have anything to do with religion.  The suicidal kids at Columbine High were inspired by 9/11. 

I have a different thought, considering the way Obama said that he was sending more troops to stop the Taliban's momentum I wonder if he is being sucked into quicksand rather than jumped into it.  If the Christmas Day attack occurred after Obama had gone along with Vice President Biden's call to pucker down in secure areas of Afghanistan instead of having a surge.  Neocons and others would have screamed, "See I told you al Qaeda attacks when you show weakness". Let's try to figure out how to get out of quicksand instead of blaming Obama and thus the country for being stuck in it.  Whenever Obama or anyone else criticizes al Qaeda, others add, women forced to wear veils, or Hamas, Hezbollah, and for those non-religious condemning religious fanatics in general.  Bin Laden is a lightning rod for anger in a lot of different directions.  Some have narrow focus such as young Muslims in their own community.  Only Obama seems to be focused only on al Qaeda.  To bad he hasn't yet noted how effective the nonviolent or less-violent responses are.  

Al Qaeda wants a permanent war as long as the world is divided.  Obama wants to beat them out of the idea, but it would be far better if he relied of less military force, and instead repeated the words of the Spanish Muslim clerics and al Fadl over and over again.  Al Fadl hasn't spoken out of late.  I wish he would say that anyone who equips their child with downs syndrome as a remote-controlled suicide bomber, or his own mother with a similar condition is going against every religion and religious leader throughout history. 

China and Hamas and Iran got in conflicts with al Qaeda, Al Qaeda has been attacking Shiite religious processions and sacred sites both in Iraq and now Afghanistan.  Iran would be in the forefront of fighting al Qaeda if the US and Israel stopped sparing with Iran,  http://www.thefirstpost.co.uk/50581,news-comment,news-politics,iran-neocon-ally-war-al-qaeda-and-the-taliban-obama-gordon-brown-afghanistan-israel 
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=75663§ionid=351020101 
http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1929388,00.html/ 
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=al9wM3k5zjLQ 
http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2009/08/hamas_and_al_qaeda_l.php
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/egypt/4736358/Al-Qaeda-founder-launches-fierce-attack-on-Osama-bin-Laden.html

When there is a bar room brawl sometimes those who try to stop it may end up just part of the brawl.  This may include Obama, but definitely includes those who are contending that Obama was sent to become the President, by the powers at be. to trick the American public into thinking things can change. 

The world can do better then everyone joining in the barroom brawl. 

People especially due to the internet read only what they agree with.  So many Obama supporters haven't actually read material condemning Obama on the peace issue.  I urge such Obama supporter to digest the following very critical article by a long time peace leader,
http://www.fpif.org/articles/a_new_start 

The following is an article supporting both peace and Obama by a world renowned peace leader,
http://www.transnational.org/Columns_Power/2009/50.ObamaPeaceWar.html 
Please someone post the links to any similar material.  I hope organizations that support Obama and peace like MoveOn.org, gather such articles rather than only a petition to Congress to set an end date for the surge.  Thank you Obama for being President.  Please stop slipping up when it comes to Afghani quicksand.

Richard Kane
RichardKanepa.blogspot.com,
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