Hey! Ain't we are the United States of America, The Greatest Country In The World( TM)?
Well then, we should be able to do this. If we did the Berlin airlift, and so many other wars that we fought all over the world, we can surely do this.
Follow me below the fold to find out what “ this” is, and how wonderful it would be to actually do it.
There is empty space in Afghanistan. We designate 40 mi.² as no man's land, advertise that we're going to have heavy air cover and that anything moving inside the box will be killed DEAD, lay down some temporary runways, and have every transport plane available going in and out every 30 seconds. Start by evacuating all the forward bases in the provinces that have been giving us the most trouble, preferably at night and with heavy air cover. When morning comes, the bases are empty of people. Leave the weapons behind; Afghans love that stuff. Fly all personnel to the temporary airfields, all the while keeping A-10's flying overhead and pulverizing anything larger than a lizard. Use civilian transports, C-130s, everything we've got. Commandeer civilian airlines; it's time for extreme measures.
Get EVERYBODY, all American personnel out of Afghanistan within one week. Sounds impossible? Wait, I thought we were the Greatest Country In The World (TM). Are you telling me that we aren't? What are you, some Candy–ass CIVILIAN? Some bleeding–heart LIBRUL?
Sure, it's a pipe dream. We wouldn't do it even if we could, because there is still too much profit to be made in Afghanistan. There are still some pallets of taxpayer money that haven't been “lost”. Some generals that haven't had affairs. But wouldn't it be great if it COULD happen? Because certainly it SHOULD happen.
As for “we'll stand down when they stand up”, when the operation is successfully completed, and there's not a single American military presence in Afghanistan, the Afghans will just have to stand up as well as they can without our help.
Seriously, wouldn't you love to see that happen? I would. if we actually had the will to do "Operation get the hell out in one week” and actually did it, that would be something to be Really thankful for.