Shocking to anyone who doesn't read much.

Military action in this tough part of the world has always been a pragmatic idea/discussion/reality in a post-9-11 world. Repubs. have often made the bizarre error of lumping all people who have questions concerning Iraq as a person who cannot embrace the possibility of military action in Afghanistan.

Lots of thinking people have different opinions about when and where strength should be centralized. Not shocking or (quite frankly) surprising.

Right! We’re going to team up with the moderate elements of the Taliban to defeat the not so moderate elements of the Taliban. A partnership if you will.

If ever you would anticipate seeing patriotic liberals, this ought to mobilize them. Do you suppose donations to the USO will increase now that the Community Organizer-in-Chief is the guy sending our best and our brightest into harm's way in defense of America's interests. Do you suppose a single anti-war activist will understand Obama's rationale for mobilizing the military to accomplish America's directives?

During the campaign, Obama said he was going to shift resources from Iraq to Afghanistan, and he certainly didn't waste much time. Hopefully the goal is to go after Osama Bin Laden (which I still think is a worthy goal) and not to try nation build or govern this ungovernable country.

First off, does Obama's National Security team even have a plan here? I heard one military planner explain the other day that we have no clear plan for Afghanistan. What exactly is our objective here?

How do we plan on pacifying the tribal areas and bringing them under central government control? Can it even be done?

What do we do about Hamid Karzai? I've heard that Obama's people aren't so high on him. Right now, he's the only leader in that country with some national standing (however limited)

And what ever happened to the original objective of this war, which was to flush out al-Qaeda and Osama bin Laden from the country? Is that question still even on the table?

How do we handle Pakistan, and will we be extending hostilities into the northern tribal areas of that country? Should we risk destabilizing a nuclear power over a few limited objectives in an isolated part of Pakistan?

How are we going to handle the problem with our forward bases in Central Asia that are being shut down because the local governments are forcing us out? These bases are necessary to supply our forces in the region. Russia is putting pressure on many of these small countries that used to be a part of the Soviet Union to shut down these US installations. Apparently they see those bases as an infringement into their sphere of influence.

And should we continue to ignore the history of this country? Many here have already commented extensively on the history of Afghanistan, and suffice it to say it doesn't look good for us. For centuries it has been a graveyard for empires, and if Obama is so intent on escalating operations here, we may be next. Without a clear plan and specific military objectives, not based on nation-building, we will not succeed.

Apparently somebody hasn't read much history. The Afgani's have been hiding behind rocks and killing invaders since a young Macedonian called Alexander strolled through their country on the way to the Hindu Kush.

Since then they've held of the Moguls, the Mongols, Tamurlane, the British, the Indians, the Russians and assorted others. Mostly, of course, what they've done is war with each other between the 40 or so assorted warrior tribes that make up the country. These are a proud, determined, warlike and aggressive people. They chose sides for reasons of their own, for motives passing the understanding of most people, and they can fight like no one else on earth. They have, over and over, outlasted occupiers who have vast technological superiority. For over two thousand years. No one else on earth has that kind of record. They may live in a shithole, but its their shithole, and they like it. And they don't like other folks tramping around in it. A few thousand more troops aren't going reverse two millenia of history.

This is at least Obama's second big mistake so far. This is HIS surge. He is turning Bush's mistake into Barack Hussein's mistake! The Bushies proved that they didn't read history, but the gaggle of "learned" members in the Obama regime are suppose to be, oh so much smarter! They just proved that they can't read either.

Name me some power or leader in the past, starting with Alexander the Great, that or who has ever controlled Afghanistan for a significant period of time and made it stick. Also who cares who controls Afghanistan?

After the Brits built their empire, they finally got it right. If the wogs in neighboring hell holes give you trouble, send in the troops, shoot a few thousand, loot whatever you can, burn the rest and get the hell out.

We goofy Americans think that we have to CHANGE all these hopeless areas and peoples and make them all the same as, let's say, the PTA in Marin County, California.