President Barack Obama greets troops at Bagram Air Field, Afghanistan on Wednesday. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

Thoughts about President Barack Obama's surprise visit to U.S. troops in Afghanistan?

Attorneys John Henry Browne, right, and Emma Scanlan, second from right, talk to reporters Thursday in Seattle. Browne and Scanlan will be representing a U.S. soldier accused of killing 16 Afghan civilians. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

After five days cloaked in military secrecy, the U.S. soldier suspected in a massacre of 16 Afghan civilians has been identified as a Washington state father of two who underwent anger management counseling a decade ago after an arrest for assault on a girlfriend. The soldier accused in the killings is Army Staff Sgt. Robert Bales, 38, (above left) his lawyer confirmed Friday. Bales is from Lake Tapps, Wash., a community set amid pine trees surrounding a reservoir about 35 miles south of Seattle. Bales is married, a father of two young children who was in the midst of his fourth tour in a war zone. Neighbors described him late Friday as good-natured and warm, and recalled seeing him playing outside the family’s modern split-level with his children, ages 3 and 4/Adam Geller, AP. More here.

Question: What should be done with this soldier, if found guilty of these killings?

• Weekend Poll: A solid majority of Hucks Nation believes President Barack Obama was wrong to apologize to Afghanistan for U.S. military burning of Qurans. 161 of 278 respondents (57.91%) said the president was wrong to apologize to President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan. 108 of 278 respondents (38.85%) said the president did the right thing by apologizing. 9 of 278 (3.24%) were undecided.
• Today's Poll: Is President Barack Obama hostile to religion, as GOPresidential candidate Rick Santorum claims?

GOP presidential candidate Newt Gingrich said Thursday a U.S. apology to Afghan authorities for burned Qurans on a military base was “astonishing” and undeserved. President Barack Obama formally apologized Thursday after copies of the Muslim holy book were found in the week burned in a garbage pit on a U.S. air field earlier. Later Thursday, news organizations reported that an Afghan soldier had killed two U.S. troops and wounded others in retaliation for the burning. Campaigning in Washington state, Gingrich said Afghan President Hamid Karzai owes the U.S. an apology for the shootings/Associated Press. More here. (AP photo of Hamid Karzai and Barack Obama in New York last Sept. 20)

Question: Gingrich goes on to say: “There seems to be nothing that radical Islamists can do to get Barack Obama’s attention in a negative way.” Do you agree with Gingrich?

This Sept. 2010 photo posted recently on the Titiusville, Fla.- based arms manufacturer Knight's Armament's Internet blog, shows members of Charlie Company, 1st Reconnaissance Battalion, out of Camp Pendleton, Calif. in Sangin, Helmand province, Afghanistan. The Marine Corps confirmed today that one of its scout sniper teams in Afghanistan posed for a photograph in front of a flag with a logo resembling that of the notorious Nazi SS. Associated Press story here. (AP Photo/knightarmco.com)

Question: How entirely inappropriate is this?

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta phoned Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai Thursday and promised full investigation of a video that purports to depict four U.S. Marines urinating on the corpses of Taliban fighters — a video both men condemned as deplorable. In a separate public statement, Panetta said such behavior is “entirely inappropriate for members of the United States military” and that those responsible will be held accountable. The video, posted on the Internet, shows men in Marine combat gear standing in a semi-circle over three bodies. It’s not clear whether the dead were Taliban or civilians or someone else. The title on the posting called them Taliban insurgents and said the men were from Camp Lejeune, N.C., but officials would not immediately confirm it/Washington Post. More here. (AP photo)

Thoughts?

This Christmas will be the 3rd Bowe Bergdahl has missed with his family since being held captive in Afghanistan by the Taliban. Recently reports came out that Bowe was recaptured after a short three-day escape in August or early September and appeared to be in good health. A well-read national publication called the Daily Beast, an affiliate of Newsweek Magazine, says the soldier tried to escape. Quoting a Taliban source, the Daily Beast reported that Bergdahl told his captors that he wanted to find civilianvillagers who would help him and notify the U.S. I can’t help but wonder Why if the Daily Beast reporter can get close enough to his captors to get this information, why can’t the U.S. military? We want Bowe home.  What is being done?/Idaho Conservative Blogger. More here. H/T: iSightOnline. (AP/IntelCenter photo of captured Bowe Bergdahl on Dec. 8, 2010)

Question: Has the American government done enough to get Idaho soldier Bowe Bergdahl home from Afghanistan?

President Obama announced Friday that the United States will withdraw nearly all troops from Iraq by the end of the year, effectively bringing the long war in Iraq to an end. “After nearly 9 years, America's war in Iraq will be over,” said Mr. Obama, who said the last American troops will depart the country “with their heads held high, proud of their success, and knowing that the american people stand united in our support for our troops” by January 1st. “Our troops are finally coming home,” he added, saying they “will definitely be home for the holidays.” America has withdrawn nearly 100,000 troops from Iraq already as part of the current draw-down, and about 40,000 troops - who are deemed “non-combat” - remain/Brian Montopoli, CBS News. More here. (AP photo)

Question: With Osama bin Laden dead, Moammar Gaddafi dead, and the Iraqi war almost over, is it time to give President Barack Obama credit for running U.S. foreign policy well?

America's veterans are proud of their military service, but in a new report published Wednesday, they expressed ambivalence about the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.In a new Pew Research Center report on war and sacrifice, half of post-9/11 veterans said the Afghanistan war has been worth fighting. Only 44% felt that way about Iraq, and one-third said both wars were worth the costs.Some of those costs were outlined in the Pew study, which comes out as the United States marks the 10th anniversary Friday of the Afghanistan conflict, the longest-running war in the nation's history/Moni Basu, CNN via KXLY. More here. (AP file photo of soldier in Iraq)

Question: Are you OK with our current level of involvement in Afghanistan and Iraq?

Boise soldier Pfc. Andrew Holmes will spend seven years in prison for murdering an Afghan boy during a patrol in January 2010, Army Lt. Col. Kwasi Hawks said today. Hawks wanted to sentence Holmes to 15 years in prison, saying it appeared to him that Holmes had not confronted “the awful moral gravity” of what he did when he shot 15-year-old Gul Mudin as the Afghan stood in a poppy field. His sentence was capped by a pretrial agreement that limited his confinement to seven years. Holmes will receive credit for the 499 days he has been confined since the Army launched its investigation in May 2010. He also could be released early with credit for good behavior. Holmes' family members cried as Hawks read his sentence. … Hawks said he understood that Holmes was a junior soldier in a difficult situation, but he said it did not excuse the murder/Adam Ashton, Tacoma News-Tribune. More here.

Question: Do you agree with this sentence?

An Afghan carries his belongings as he passes burning fuel tankers in the outskirts of Kabul, Afghanistan, Thursday, Aug. 4, 2011.

WASHINGTON (AP) — After examining hundreds of combat support and reconstruction contracts in Afghanistan, the U.S military estimates $360 million in U.S. tax dollars has ended up in the hands of people the American-led coalition has spent nearly a decade battling: the Taliban, criminals and power brokers with ties to both.

The losses underscore the challenges the U.S. and its international partners face in overcoming corruption in Afghanistan. A central part of the Obama administration's strategy has been to award U.S.-financed contracts to Afghan businesses to help improve quality of life and stoke the country's economy. Full story.

Does anybody care or is this just the price of the doing the business of war?

The fans at Avista Stadium rise for a standing ovation as Sgt. Chris Weichman embraces his twin 4-year-old girls Gracie, left, and Ruby during a surprise homecoming between innings Monday. His wife Abby stands at left. The homecoming was arranged as a “special prize ” for a promotion during the game between the Spokane Indians and Yakima Bears. Weichman is on his third tour of duty in Afganistan. (SR photo: Christopher Anderson) Also: You can see the KHQ video of the reunion here.

Councilman Mike, who was at the game, offers this description: “After the promo the stadium announcer Jamie Patrick called people’s attention to the 3rd base line and there was a serviceman standing there. His daughters ran right across the field and the reality of what was happening dawned on everyone. When people realized this was the reunion, the crowd rose and applauded (many through tears) and the players warming up for the next inning on the field and in the dugouts all stopped what they were doing and gave the family an ovation. It put everything in perspective and was an unexpected blessing to be a part of.

DFO: This wonderful reunion underscores the awful loss to this country and their families of the 30 SEALS in Afghanistan during the last week.

Brent Andrews: I am hearing the general say the loss of these 30 including SEALS in the helicopter crash will not affect the overall operation in Afg, but it will. The will for this war was already sapped and this is another blow that cannot but turn our heads from inflicting violence on the poor, spreading “freedom” with bombs and rifles, and losing our troops in battles that don’t even matter to overall operations. If we choose to inflict death to carry out our political designs, we will get death in return. We should make the best of this awful loss and resolve to end the occupation and scale down our military in a drastic way. Else, we can only expect more disasters like this one. (AP file photo)

Question: I'm with Brent on this one. I can't see what purpose is served to keep putting our troops through the meat grinder to protect Afghanistan. It's time to bring those troops home. What do you say?

Nick Anderson/Houston Chronicle

• Tuesday Poll: A plurality of Hucks Nation voted that President Obama should bring all American troops home from Afghanistan now. 54 of 117 respondents (46.15) want our troops home immediately. However, 38 of 117 respondents (32.48%) favors a slow withdrawal that ends in 2014. Also, 19 respondents (16.24%) wants Obama to remove the 30,000 surge troops now; 5 (4.27%) support an indefinite presence in Afghanistan; and only 1 (.85%) backs the choice that Obama likely will follow — withdrawal of 10,000 troops immediately and gradual withdrawal afterward.
• Today's Poll: What kind of message did legislators send by awarding $94,633 in bonuses this year to legislative staffers?

• Monday Poll: A supermajority of Hucks Nation say state Sen. John McGee, R-Caldwell, should be booted from the Idaho Legislature, if he's found guilty of DUI and grand theft auto. 121 of 183 respondents (66.12%) say he should be forced from Legislature. 24 respondents (13.11%) said his Senate District should deal with him at the polls, followed by 23 respondents (12.57%) who think he should be booted from his Senate Republican Caucus chairman post and other leadership roles. 10 (5.46%) said he should simply be censured. 5 were undecided.
• Today's Poll: How quickly should the Obama administration withdraw troops from Afghanistan?

Even before foreign policy heavyweights like Sen. Richard Lugar suggested accelerating U.S. withdrawal on Tuesday, Idaho's freshman 1st District Raul Labrador said the death of Osama bin Laden should hasten America's exit. “I do think this is a great time to declare victory in Afghanistan and to look for a way to get out of there,” Labrador told the Idaho Statesman on Monday. We are supposed to start withdrawing this fall, but hopefully we can do it even sooner than that. I think we had accomplished our mission even before (bin Laden's death). We had done certain things to slow down the growth of al-Qaeda, to stop what they were doing”/Dan Popkey, Idaho Statesman. More here.

Question: Do you care what happens to Afghanistan (if we followed Congressman Labrador's advice and declared victory and left)?

President Barack Obama greets members of the military at a rally during an unannounced visit at Bagram Air Field in Afghanistan today. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

I thought it was good of Obama to make a surprise visit to Afghanistan today. He gave a nice talk and rallied the troops, as well. Good Presidential effort — HMOffsuite.

Question: What value to you see in President Barack Obama’s visit with American troops in Afghanistan?

Signe Wilkinson/Philadelphia Inquirer