Am I Nuts?

One of the privileges of having a blog is that it provides a forum for me to express my views. At the risk of coming across as ignorant, am I nuts for for believing that we are wasting our blood and treasure in the middle east? Previously I posted on how the last American units to leave Iraq skulked out of the country out of fear of  a Taliban ambush and reprisal. Is that how a supposed world power conducts itself when engaged in enforcing policy? Especially in a country where we invested over ten years of battle-which included trillions of dollars and over 5000 of our country's brightest and bravest lives? Now we remain in the quagmire that is Afghanistan; a country that lacks central authority just about everywhere and can't even define its borders. It is a primitive, hostile place mostly governed by semi nomadic tribes that have allegiance only to themselves. They don't even have a common language other than Pashto (and that is an Iranian dialect) and they are governed by the iron hand of often brutal tribal elders. A thriving, unregulated economy flourishes vis a vis the poppy farms which are harvested to make opiates. Am I nuts for believing that a lot of Americans don't even know these and other facts. I also believe that; other than the loss of life, they really don't care about what goes on over there on a day to day basis. Now our forces have committed an error; albeit a major one, by desecrating their beloved Koran by placing it in the garbage and burning it. This act occurred in a prison and the Koran was allegedly being used to disseminate information by the Taliban. Even after our in country leaders apologized profusely, the riots and bloodshed continue. The people of Afghanistan have made it abundantly clear that they do not want us in their country. Now two more Americans have died by the ultimate form of betrayal; at the hands of a supposed ally. Yet we remain and life continues as it has for thousands of years. Before he passed my father expressed his displeasure over our involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan. This from a man who served his country faithfully and bravely for decades and went into harms way countless times. It was both cathartic and shocking to hear from him. I said long ago and I stand behind my believe that nothing will change by our continued involvement in the middle east. We prevailed in a cataclysmic World War because our people were united and determined to defeat the Axis. And this was when we were linked just by print media and radio. People knew who Hirohito, Stalin, Churchill, Mussolini and others were and we were determined and steadfast in our resolve. Unfortunately, the American people are not behind this fallacy that is our foreign policy these days. I may be nuts, but I believe that the majority of us are just tired of our continued involvement in the middle east. Call me crazy, but if we somehow prevailed, I seriously doubt that a "free" and "democratic" Afghanistan will keep the Taliban or any other terrorist organization from acting any differently than they do now.