War, what is it good for?

ABC news reports some pro-US, good news...

...77 percent of Afghans say their country is headed in the right direction,— compared with 30 percent in the vastly better-off United States. Ninety-one percent prefer the current Afghan government to the Taliban regime, and 87 percent call the U.S.-led overthrow of the Taliban good for their country. Osama bin Laden, for his part, is as unpopular as the Taliban; nine in 10 view him unfavorably.

Progress fuels these views: Despite the country's continued problems, 85 percent of Afghans say living conditions there are better now than they were under the Taliban. Eighty percent cite improved freedom to express political views. And 75 percent say their security from crime and violence has improved as well. After decades of oppression and war, many Afghans see a better life.

...

Women

The survey also finds broad majority support for women's rights in Afghan society, albeit, as in other readings, with more modest strength of commitment behind it. Nine in 10 Afghans support girls' education and women voting, three-quarters support women holding jobs and two-thirds support women holding government office,— remarkable in a country where the Taliban so thoroughly repressed such rights. Perhaps surprisingly, support for most of these is nearly as high among men as it is among women.

Read the whole thing.

Commentary: I see a whole lot of bumper stickers here in Los Angeles that say "War is not the Answer". I pose the above story as exhibit number one that a just War, while enormously tragic, can lead to a better future that is worth fighting for. Perhaps the Feminist groups in the country could laud the great advancements for Afghan women that have ccurred under GWB's presidency.