Ottawa Citizen
http://www.ottawacitizen.com/news/Somnia/3351802/story.html?id=3351802

Yes, let's 'cut and run'

Pumping more Canadian lives and money into face-saving exit strategies is a waste -- it's time to get out of Afghanistan

August 3, 2010

By Colin Kenny, Citizen Special Comments (14)

Gen. Rick Hillier, formerly head of the Canadian Forces, has admitted as much in acknowledging that when he decided that Canada should take the lead in fighting insurgents in Kandahar province.

When it comes to military missions, the tough guys' mantra is that we Canadians don't cut and run. When the going gets difficult, Canadians keep fighting against the odds in order to create a better world wherever our troops are representing us.

And if our military is completely burned out -- as it is now after several years of engagement in Afghanistan --and we can no longer confront the enemy on the front lines, we at least leave enough people in the field to train local fighters to take our place. Oh, and one more thing: We'll keep shunting big aid dollars to Afghanistan to help ordinary Afghans whose lives have been made hell by the war that we have been fighting on their behalf.

That's the gist of a feel-good escape plan emerging in some circles -- a scenario invented to make Canadians hug themselves while retreating from a bloody combat that Canada got suckered into on false pretences.

My position is that getting burned once should be more than enough. We shouldn't be making plans to get burned twice.