Word on the street is that our president had the balls to reject all four bullshit "options" put on his desk regarding Afghanistan. All of the options were just different levels of escalation. Escalation is the most dumbass course of action which is why I fully expected it to be the one taken.

If this report is true, I am overwhelmed with joy. Yes, "joy" would be the word for it. What else can one feel at the prospect of thousands of lives and billions of dollars saved? Afghanistan is a losing proposition. The Taliban have every advantage from terrain to popular support. Staying there is a guarantee of being worn down militarily and thrown on the ash heap of formerly great empires that part of the world has slain.

The thing is, you can't win in Afghanistan, even with modern technology, maybe especially with modern technology. There is nothing to bomb. Helicopters don't work in the high altitudes. The terrain will chew you up as it did the Russians, the Brits, and pretty much everybody else who ever invaded.

Funny thing about Afghanistan: It's really easy to get in but almost impossible to get out alive. Time to cut our losses.

Besides, what do we really stand to gain? Those gas and oil pipelines will never be built. That's clear by now, with the Taliban controlling 80 percent of the country.

"Terrorist training camps!" you say. "9-11!" you screech hysterically.

Well, I've got news for you: "Terrorists" (which is just shorthand for anyone who is a potential enemy of the United States -- George Washington was called a terrorist by the British) are training in North Korea, Pakistan, the Sudan, Somalia, Cuba, Russia, and a long list of other countries. In chess you don't attack all-out because it exposes you. You have to play defense. It is the "Department of Defense," is it not? How about we defend our own borders and stop worrying about a bunch of goat herders playing soldier boy -- in their own damn countries, I might add. Oh, and, by the way, terrorists are training in Afghanistan right now. They're getting on-the-job training killing our troops.

Speaking of the troops, that's why I am glad that it seems Obama might be considering ending this thing. Have they not sacrificed enough with the multiple deployments, the casualties? These are our neighbors, our friends, our brothers and sisters. Let's bring them home and let them help us climb out of this hole we're in. Let's build solar panels, not missiles.

If Obama has the courage and wisdom to stop this madness, I will consider him one of the greatest presidents ever. Kennedy was assassinated for standing up to the military-industrial complex, openly advocating a withdrawal from Vietnam, and the MIC was not as powerful then as it is now. Let's hope we don't have to sacrifice another 50,000 lives in a war that can't be won.