I know that most Muslims do not hate Americans. But I do think we have a very questionable history in the regions -- North Africa, the Middle East and Central Asia. There are reasons that some ordinary people support Al Qaeda and other extremist organizations.
I want us out of Iraq and Afghanistan. I understand that Al-Qaeda has infiltrated -- deliberately -- the Afghan police force, and that the murders of U.S. service men and women are not an expression of Afghan popular sentiment. I also respect the efforts of Afghani civil servants to re-vet police and armed service recruits. I KNOW that there are efforts being made on the part of Afghan nationals, Egyptian nationals and others to keep citizens of other nations safe.
NEVERTHELESS, I am tired of hearing of the senseless deaths. And I truly think they are senseless. I no longer think that U.S. influence in Afghanistan is salutary in any respect. It's time to go.
I am happy that both Obama and Romney have agreed to the 2014 deadline. It can't be too soon as far as I am concerned.
Re Libya, of course we should continue to have a diplomatic presence there. Also in Egypt and Yemen. But we need to provide better security for our people. When the risk is too great, we need to pull them out, as we have in the past in a number of different circumstances.
My understanding is that Al Qaeda controls or is influential across that corridor between northern Mali and southern Libya -- including southern Algeria and northern Niger. I don't know if it's a stronghold, but they are very active there. And we know they have control of areas of Afghanistan and Pakistan.
We aren't going to change that on the ground. Economic and cultural change, supported, we hope, by U.S. diplomatic efforts -- that is what we can hope will aid residents of those areas to create healthy social and political change. But we need to get the hell out of Afghanistan and keep our people safe around the world.
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