Brown: I don't "dodge" facts. And I don't flyspeck posts, looking for ways to wriggle out from my mistakes.
When I pointed out the absurdity of your claim that the Afghans "beat" the Taliban, you couldn't admit your blunder. Instead, you nitpicked whether it was SF or CIA that called in the air strikes that shattered them!
The NA had been driven back into the mountains and controlled only 10% of Afghanistan before 9/11, their only unifying leader, Massoud, was dead, and the Northern Alliance was at risk of crumbling. As you should know, the CIA had been 'on the ground' with the NA years before 9/11 - not "weeks" before the NA offensive - and had had little success in getting in US support. The outlook for the Afghans was bleak.
Only after 9/11, when the US got serious about al Qaeda and - after an ultimatum - took on the Taliban, did the NA begin to move. And then only after they got serious support from America and could witness the devastating power of US air support. Americans beat the Taliban - the Afghans just did the mopping up.
I admit that, although SF spotters did in fact call in air strikes, they weren't the first US teams to do so (did I ever say they were?). Now, Larry, can you admit you got the victors wrong?
