Expect Beck, Rush and Michael Savage to have an embolism over this one...

"The Taliban, who attacked us on 9/11!!!"

Islamofacists!  Fighting them over there so we don't have to....

On the other hand, you wonder if your average dittohead could find Saudia Arabia on a map, let alone acknowledge the 9/11 hijackers were like Bin Laden himself, a Saudi.

While I agree with lot of decisions administration is making on Iraq, I think this is a flawed philosopy, and will unarguably be a late 80's early 90's type of alliance, which led to rise of terrorism as we know of it today!

Maybe folks should carefully examine what the US and our CIA have done in the Middle East in the last sixty years or so:

1. overthrew the Iranian democracy and replaced it with the vile and murderous dictator Shah.

2. installed the Baath party in Iraq in the late 1960s, replaced a "pro-Soviet Union" military government. With our help Saddam Hussein came to power.

3. in the 1980s, President Reagan and our lovely CIA helped train, fund and arm right-wing peasants in Afghanistan to fight against the Soviet-supported government which was actually doing some things to help the average Afghani.
These same right wing peasants finally drove out the troops from the Soviet Union. They evolved into the present Taliban. Of course, we wanted to build an oil pipeline across Afghanistan and the Taliban had the unmitigated gall to say. "No."

The USA should just butt out of the Middle East.

Personally, I think making a deal with the Taliban is about as productive as making a deal with Republicans... you're not going to get anywhere, and even if you do, they'll "change the terms" at the last minute and betray you in the end anyways...

This idea can be sold to the public, but it won't be easy.  More importantly, I don't know how well this will work.

a strategy that has a finite chance of success.

And like you, I am wondering if he will be thwarted in his attempts by his side...

I am surprised that some people here think that negotiating with the Taleban has chance of success!! We have gone on this path before, some misguided people here have tried this earlier and even after 9/11 the Bush government even promised to turn a blind eye if they handed over bin Laden. Problem with the Taleban is that they are not just a theocracy but a totalitarian regime that acts as a magnet for other people professing their view around the world, which means intolerance towards women, arts, sports, culture, other religion, diversity and not least promote terrorism under their umbrella. Bad idea.

just not members of the Taliban. They are Islamofascist terrorists who would destroy Western culture and our way of life. Giving them legitimacy in the eyes of the world would be a mistake. I say fight a little longer, and once we've won a few victories, maybe talk to a provisional goverment we set up and support. Keep troops there to keep order, as we should have after the Soviet withdrawal, but no pipeline talks.

I hope this is step in the right direction.