I'll never fully understand why congress always plays the detached role of either cheerleader or victim; depending on where they think the majority of their constituency stands on issues like Iraq and now Afghanistan.

The President defined the Ends; and the military is the means the the president sent to address those ends. The military in turn came up with (surprise) a military solution to the President's Ends; and the Congress then resourced all of the above.

To Congress, please, stop being a detached cheerleader or victim either one, and stand up and take responsibility.

The Ends defined by the President are far too broad and far too tied to one specific region of he globe to be Feasible, Acceptable, or Suitable to the goals of promoting US interests in South Asia, or the more specific interest of protecting the US from AQ inspired acts of terrorism coming out of the greater Middle East.

The Ways derived and being implemented by the Military are wildly disconnected from the Ends identified by the President and for different reasons are equally infeasible, unacceptable and unsuitable to the larger goals as well.

I always have to stop and remind myself that it is the genius of our Constitution that ensures that the US government remains so wonderfully dysfunctional and inefficient so as to keep the President, the Congress and the Military from all deciding some day to gang up on "we the people." But damn, sometimes its frustrating.

Man up Congress. Stop watching the world go by while you wring your hands or wave your pom poms and write rubber checks to pay for it all. The power of the purse is in your hands, but only if you are willing to pull the strings. Instead you write a blank check to USAID and add it to the blank check already given to Defense. Is it any wonder this just keeps getting bigger? Cut some funds, and watch it get smarter instead. Rich people can afford to be wasteful and stupid; people on a budget have to get smart and efficient.