Sunday, October 11, 2009

A Republic, if You Can Keep It

When Benjamin Franklin emerged from the Constitutional Convention, according to an old story, an onlooker asked him what kind of government the delegates had created. He answered, "a Republic, if you can keep it."

This has been on my mind lately because of the situation in Afghanistan. We have spent hundreds of billions of dollars creating an Afghan republic, but in the long run we cannot keep it. Only the Afghans can do that. I think it is long past time we said to the Afghans what Franklin said to his fellow Americans -- our part is done, and now it is up to you.

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