NYT: U.S. to Protect Populous Afghan Areas, Officials Say

[S-2]

"So what is your alternative?"

Pardon me but I thought I was clear-get out.

Accept egg on our face, lick our wounds, and await the emergence of targets not requiring another Armitage moment.

This, as constituted or any variation on a theme, is a failed enterprise of massive if not epic proportions. All our proposals from a "been there, done that" C.T. campaign up to an "ALL IN" are, in fact, those variations of this failed theme.

I am here to tell you that you will not unfcuk STATE and the associated U.S. civil agencies anytime in this millenium. Nor shall our allies prove any more capable of altering mid-stream their own business-as-usual approaches. Absolutely won't see tangible results out of the GoA. EVER.

We could put 1,000,000 troops in there and still find ourselves in-country two decades from now to no result and at great but pointless cost. Worse, we've target-fixation to the point that we'll likely auger in.

Afghanistan's the wrong target and we need to dis-engage and clear the decks for the correct one.

I KNEW this would go down badly with you scholar-warrior types. Y'all be looking to earn stars as the next Galula or Thompson and then go to work at CNAS.

Get back in the business of slinging hardware instead of high falutin' words...