Hillary Clinton Apologizes to for Afghan Bombing that Killed Civilians

The air strikes that killed dozens of Afghan civilians, including women and children, are not uncommon in the ongoing War on Terror. They are an integral part of the U.S. strategy and one of the few ways in which the U.S. can exercise any measure of technological or firepower superiority over its enemies.

The rugged terrain of Afghanistan negates most of the advantage the the U.S. has in technology and weaponry and actually creates somewhat of an advantage for the Taliban solders with far greater knowledge of the landscape. So when an opportunity arises for the U.S. to knock out large groups of fighters with air strikes, they are eager for the chance.

In this instance, the intelligence and/or the execution of the attack was severely flawed and dozens of innocent people died. In somewhat of a break from the policy of the Bush administration, Hillary Clinton addressed the event specifically with reporters and expressed her deep regret at the loss of civilian life. The U.S. military is doing its part to try to assuage Afghani outrage by launching a formal investigation, but we probably know where that's headed.

Ultimately, events like these are simply part of the costs of the types of wars that the U.S. has found itself in. These things cannot be avoided entirely and they scar the people left behind forever. As much as this most recent air strike was catastrophic and misguided, the U.S. foreign policy that drove it is equally at fault. It will be interesting to see if and how the Obama administration addresses its problems abroad.