Harry Reid: “I remember reading a book I enjoyed very much by James Michener called ``Caravans,'' an excellent history of…”

“I remember reading a book I enjoyed very much by James Michener called ``Caravans,'' an excellent history of Afghanistan. Of all the books he wrote, the only one I enjoyed more than that was ``Hawaii.'' When I read ``Caravans,'' I knew very little about Afghanistan. After I finished the book, I knew a lot more about Afghanistan and the constant struggles of the Afghan people. America first focused on Afghanistan during the Cold War. The Soviets came in and brutally tried to take over that country. As we know now, American forces supplied arms to the Afghan people, who courageously drove the Soviets out of Afghanistan. Many scholars believe that defeat marked the beginning of the end of the Soviet Union. After almost 80 years, the impoverished country of Afghanistan was the reason for the fall of one of the greatest powers in the history of the world. I will return to the subject of Afghanistan in a moment, but first I want to comment on what some of my colleagues have said this morning about the situation in Iraq.”