There's no getting around it. Democracy is a two-edged sword. The fact that we are still the most free people in the world is not a result of “our democracy”. God forbid! The reality, unbeknownst to most of the people, all the media, excluding Fox, and all the politicians except Ron Paul, is that whatever liberty we have left is a direct result of the shreds of the republican (small “r”) government we still retain.
Our Constitutional Framers set up a system of checks and balances to restrain sinful men from doing damage by swaying the mob. This is well documented in the Federalist Papers, but nobody reads anymore. In my view, all the evils we're experiencing in our economy and society as a whole are a direct result of the gradual chipping away of that system and our moral standards by well meaning, liberal elements of both parties. We're gradually turning our republic into a national democracy, much to the detriment of our education, our families, our economy, our entertainment, our politics and our religion.
That brings me to my main point. Our President just anounced from the front that we've essentially won, and will be coming home. Good, but what is really likely to happen after we leave? Anyone who believes Karzai truly represents the people is kidding themselves. But what would true democracy really bring? Theocracy, just as in Iran, like it or not. The majority of the population are devout Muslims, and that's exactly what one of the cornerstones of the religion preaches. That's why true Islam is basically incompatible with the U.S. Constitution because the things that Muslims would want the government to do would require Constitutional Amendments.
Afghanistan will be a delicate matter. So much for democracy, as far as U.S. interests go. Granting it would create another problem spot for us of an altogether higher magnatude. The best we could hope for, as far as U.S. interests go, would be a millitary coup that installed people who would be good at convincing the populace that they were once again independent, but at the same time be following U.S. instructions for keeping the Taliban down. Look for that to include elements from the Taliban. Face it, ever since the last faked election, Karzai's days have been numbered. Don't worry, he will be O.K. He and his brother have shipped billions off to numbered accounts in Switzerland and Baharain.
From the very begining, there was never going to be a happy ending for us there. Just like in Vietnam, we supported a corrupt tyrant that told us he supported liberty, while robbing the people blind and snuffing their freedom. The good news is that at least we won't be shedding much more blood, although I'm sure our State Department will be sure to continue spending treasure, regardless of the outcome. Everybody knows that throwing money at a problem is bound to make it at least a little better. At least you can always find statisticians to make it seem so.