the Washington Post of all places. I especially appreciate the closing paragraph:

"Though the aggressive tactics have put more Americans in harm's way, they are necessary. If the Afghan campaign is to be concluded successfully, U.S. commanders cannot allow Taliban and al Qaeda forces to regroup in places such as Shahikot, or to slip away once they are cornered. Moreover, those commanders -- and the American public -- cannot allow the casualties of recent days, or the prospect that more may come, to weaken their willingness to see the battle through. When American troops last suffered such heavy losses -- in the Mogadishu firefight depicted in the movie "Black Hawk Down" -- the reaction of a panicky Clinton administration was to yank U.S. troops from Somalia. That event deeply impressed al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, who hoped that by inflicting similar American casualties in Afghanistan he could stop the war against his terrorism. He must be proven wrong."