In Vietnam, we had a micromanaging President (LBJ) and a moron for Secretary of Defense (McNamara) who were literally calling the shots. LBJ and McNamara did stupid things like asking the military for a list of the 100 most important targets in Vietnam, and then starting at the least important. As a result, by the time they got around to the higher priority targets, the North Vietnamese had established some of the heaviest air defenses anywhere on Earth. LBJ and McNamara literally selected the targets for the next day's missions. LBJ once boasted that the military couldn't bomb an outhouse without his permission.

In Afghanistan, you have competent military leadership calling the shots (many of whom cut their teeth in Vietnam) backed by a supportive administration. The administration sets policies while letting the Generals and Admirals run the war.

In Vietnam, our forces would hit a target and then leave it, like what happened on Hamburger Hill. Our forces fought for days to take that hill. Ultimately, they won the battle after taking very heavy casualties. As soon as the battle was over, the Americans left and the Vietnamese retook the hill without firing a shot. American troops learned that they had idiots running the war and the best thing they could hope for was to come home alive and in one piece.

In Afghanistan, our partners are very interested in taking and holding territory.

In Vietnam, our weenies at the State Department were afraid of actually trying to win lest we offend the communists in the Soviet Union and China.

In Afghanistan, victory is the declared goal and nothing less will do.

During the Vietnam War, the American public lost faith in the government because of the senseless way the war was being waged and the fact that it seemed to drag on forever with no end in sight. One of my history books on our war in Vietnam is titled "The 10,000 Day War".

Now in Afghanistan, we have weenies from the Press Corps complaining because victory has taken over 10 weeks.

We have highly motivated and well trained troops fighting in Afghanistan. They're all volunteers, have first rate equipment, and are fighting with clear cut objectives for a cause they believe in. They're receiving widespread support and respect from the people back home. Furthermore, we're receiving support from many nations around the world in intelligence, law enforcement, and even combat troops. And that, more than anything, is why this war is nothing like the one in Vietnam.