Let's Get Out of Afghanistan

Barbara Boxer rounds up some facts and figures related to the Afghanistan war: Osama bin Laden is dead, al-Qaeda looks to be crippled in the country, more than 1,500 Americans have been killed, and we're spending $10 billion a month on a seemingly never-ending war effort. Easy to see where this is going: "Although we must remain vigilant in our efforts to defeat al-Qaeda and must continue our support for the Afghan people, there is simply no justification for the continued deployment of 100,000 American troops in Afghanistan," writes the California senator in the Los Angeles Times.

"This July, the president should expedite his promised withdrawal of our combat forces. Moreover, we should now set an end date for the US deployment there," writes Boxer, who has introduced a bill requiring just that. It's a "myth" to think we can build a Western-style democracy in Afghanistan, she writes. Let's be realistic instead: Bring our soldiers home, leaving just enough for counter-terror strikes, training, and the protection of US officials. "We owe that much to our troops, and to the American people." (More Barbara Boxer stories.)