Afghanistan? Out now!

The week of Oct. 4 two events kept Afghanistan on the front pages.

Resistance forces attacked a U.S. military outpost and engaged in a full-fledged battle. Ten U.S. troops died.

President Barack Obama ordered a last-minute meeting with his Afghanistan commanding general, Stanley McChrystal, on Air Force One in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Someone in the Pentagon had “leaked” McChrystal’s demand for 40,000 more U.S. troops. This put right-wing pressure on the Obama administration to quickly accede to the generals. Obama stated clearly he has no intention of ordering U.S. troops out of Afghanistan. But he wants time to examine his other options.

Any organization that hopes to represent the working class—including the unemployed and all the oppressed peoples—in the U.S. cannot be indifferent to a conflict between a civilian, elected representative and the appointed, professional killers in the upper reaches of the Pentagon.

But it would be foolish to believe that either side in this internal ruling-class debate represents the interests of working and poor people, either here in the U.S. or in Afghanistan. What the two sides are discussing, debating and might wind up in a sharp conflict about, is how to promote U.S. imperialist interests in Central Asia.

Imperialist interests are the very opposite of the best interests of the Afghan peasants and working people as well as those of the workers, unemployed and oppressed in the U.S. The only acceptable strategy to serve those popular interests is to get the U.S. and all NATO troops out of Afghanistan, now.

The anti-war movement here is hitting the streets this October to oppose this war. Join those protests!