Biden: Taliban Isn't U.S. Enemy

[Forgiven]

December 19, 2011

FoxNews.com

The White House on Monday defended Vice President Joe Biden for saying that the Taliban isn't an enemy of the United States despite the years spent fighting the militant Islamic group that gave a home to Al Qaeda and its leader Usama bin Laden while he plotted the Sept. 11 terror attacks.

"It's only regrettable when taken out of context," White House spokesman Jay Carney said of the vice president's remarks in an interview published Monday.

"Look, the Taliban per se is not our enemy. That's critical," Biden said. "There is not a single statement that the president has ever made in any of our policy assertions that the Taliban is our enemy, because it threatens U.S. interests. If, in fact, the Taliban is able to collapse the existing government, which is cooperating with us in keeping the bad guys from being able to do damage to us, then that becomes a problem for us."

White House Stands By Biden Statement That Taliban Isn't U.S. Enemy | Fox News

[WKUHilltopper]

Of course they're not the enemy--we've been fighting goats in Afghanistan.

Is it no wonder I trust NOTHING that comes from this administration? And that I question their motives and intent on absolutely everything...these people are threats to our security and free republic.

[DGB]

What is there to say to this? I have just about given up on our government, be it democrat or republican. They have no common sense

[WKUHilltopper]

What is there to say to this? I have just about given up on our government, be it democrat or republican. They have no common sense

I haven't given up on our form of government--just the criminals running it.

[Sean Osborne]

What is there to say to this?

Well, what I say to this is that those who say the Taliban are not the enemy are the enemy.

[mattfivefour]

Here, imho, is the background to what Biden said. For its political reasons the current administration has decided to get out of Afghanistan as it now has out of Iraq. It knows very well that the Taliban is poised to sweep back into power and Afghan President Hamid Karzai has as much told them this. Karzai's life, let alone his privileged position, is going to depend on how much peace he can make with the Taliban between now and when the US finally leaves. That fact alone explains a lot of Karzai's words and actions since the president announced the impending US withdrawal. Now, if the Taliban move back into power, it would look like the US just wasted all that money and all those American lives for nothing ... IF the Taliban is viewed as the enemy it has always been. So the challenge for the Administration is to re-tell the Afghanistan story so as to make a Taliban government an acceptable thing. This requires, among other things, a redefining of who the Taliban are. Biden (who is certainly very clumsy politically) sent up the first trial balloon. It may have been shot out of the air, due largely to his ham-fisted presentation of the topic, but do not believe for one moment that the initiative to recast the Taliban in a different light is dead. The Administration has no choice. To do otherwise would make them look like the doctrinaire incompetents that they are. And, their egos aside, from an internal American political standpoint they cannot afford to have that happen.

[OnceWasLost]

This is after all slow joe "gafmaster" biden, so a goofy sound bite is to be expected. The only time he removes his foot from his mouth is to change feet. I do think this is the prevailing view of those in the White House and all their advisors. Everything is a law enforcement matter and the taliban, in their view, has a few rogue members, but not all are avowed terrorists.

They fail to see that islam is as much about ideology as it is "religion". Ironic when you think about it, obama and his acolytes are blind to ideology, while they themselves are ideologues.

[Cricket55]

Biden no no no!!!! Have you learned nothing.

[brethorn56]

I can see his point, I mean, after all, they are just a bunch of good ole boys just kicking up their heels every once in a while. Hey, I know, on occasion, they have been known to behead folks but evidently they deserved it. And yes, every so often they have made a little money dealing and distributing opium, but hey, economic times are tough right now. Women??? Yes, they have oppressed and demeaned women but it is their culture which makes it right, right??? And, I’ll have you know, just because they believe it is their right to tax, convert and/or kill all infidels who do not practice their religion, does that really mean they hate us??? I think the VP is spot on, or spot something………..