Obama's Approach Workable? US Considering Meetings With Taliban

Could it be that John McCain's only argument just got flushed down the toilet of reality? Obama has said he will meet with our enemies, and John McCain has said such a position shows Barrack Obama's naivete. In news out on the AP, and CBS web sites, it seems that military advisers are asking themselves, "Is it time to talk to the Taliban?" Even Defense Secretary Gate's has joined those chorus of those pitching talks with the Taliban, our ENEMIES. More shocking, John McCain's hero, the man he credits with the success of the SURGE agrees with the position that the time to talk has come. What now Mr. McCain? More race baiting? More personal attacks?

U.S. May Consider Taliban Talks

As Afghan Situation Worsens, U.S. And NATO Allies May

Entertain Negotiations With Moderate Taliban Leaders

LONDON, Oct. 8, 2008

(CBS/ AP) When NATO defense ministers meet in Budapest on Thursday, they will face a worsening situation in Afghanistan and vexing questions about whether the war can be won.

Increasingly, military commanders and political leaders are asking: Is it time to talk to the Taliban?

With U.S. and NATO forces suffering their deadliest year so far in Afghanistan, a rising chorus of voices, including Defense Secretary Robert Gates and the incoming head of U.S. Central Command, have endorsed efforts to reach out to members of the Taliban considered willing to seek an accommodation with President Hamid Karzai's government.

"That is one of the key long-term solutions in Afghanistan, just as it has been in Iraq," Gates told reporters Monday. "Part of the solution is reconciliation with people who are willing to work with the Afghan government going forward."

Gen. David Petraeus, who will become responsible for U.S. military operations in Afghanistan as head of U.S. Central Command on Oct. 31, agreed.

"I do think you have to talk to enemies," Petraeus said Wednesday at an appearance at the Heritage Foundation in Washington, when asked about potential dialogue with the Taliban.

"You've got to set things up. You've got to know who you're talking to. You've got to have your objectives straight," he said. "But I mean, what we did do in Iraq ultimately was sit down with some of those that were shooting at us. What we tried to do was identify those who might be reconcilable."

In terms of Afghanistan, he said: "The key there is making sure that all of that is done in complete coordination with complete support of the Afghan government - and with President Karzai."

But entering negotiations with the Taliban raises difficult issues.