As an older American I have misgivings about our history, however I don’t have many historical regrets - particularly concerning colonialism and imperialism. <br>Looking back in time is fraught with problems of context - without context you understand nothing. <br>Making up context, a popular modern pass time, is worse than ignorance. <br>Afghans are not ‘babes in the woods’ nor are they the enemy. <br>They seem like ‘floaters’ through life - carried by the vicissitudes of life rather then carving out their own future - a tactic not without peril. <br>The two sides of the coin of ‘striking a retaliatory blow’ might be; on the one hand to make a huge strike then leaving shortly thereafter, or taking control of the situation for at least 50 years - the ‘in between’ seems always to fall apart for everyone. <br>Finally, neither party in the above conversation seemed particularly versed in US history - rather they seemed focused on the feeling of ‘what could be’.