To the first bolded comment, I heard the same thing from most Iraqis after the first 3 months of the war. They thanked us for what we had done for them and politely requested we return home. Obviously that did not happen.
To the second bold statement.
Justme keeps saying that we need to be allowed to fight a war how its meant to be fought etc. This war and the war in Iraq are not conventional wars. This isnt a standing army we have been facing. How many battles have we lost in Iraq? How many in Afghanistan? (You could also ask the question "How many battles did we lose in Vietnam?") Would you say we have lost in Iraq? I would disagree. I also do not see a loss in Afghanistan. Vietnam was a different war in that we were fighting insurgents and a conventional force. The common Afghani does not hate America. They just want to live their lives like anyone else. If we can create a climate where they are not being threatened by the Taliban into fighting against us or we are driving people into fighting us by killing their friends, neighbors, and families unintentionally or for no reason we will be making real progress. My unit's job is to help create that climate. To change the local populace attitudes and minds. It can happen. The ground commanders have requested more troops and even more will be incoming. Give them the time to work.