"That's about the fourth time I've laid out pretty much the same thoughts. Next time you insist that nobody has an alternative to Bush's bungling, I won't bother to go through this exercize."

So let me get this straight, you support the war in Afghanistan. And you want us to do more than we are currently doing there. Do you think you have a good enough handle to assess the situation, so as to be able to accurately point out what is "wrong" and the steps needed to "fix it". It seems to me, that we aren't trying to control Afghanistan, but it's more like return it to condition in which progress is possible and getting elections started. Once election are held the people in Afghanistan with international support can move toward bringing the whole country back to where is can have normal relations and trade.
Meanwhile, we still hunt down the terrorists in the general area- keep them running and unable to set up a significant power base.
Now, what do you want to do with SA? What kind of leverage, do you think we had with SA. We have had friendly relations for decades- do you want to "use this" in some manner. Do you want to piss them off in some manner. Remember, that the SA did not want US forces in their country, but because of the threat that Saddam poised to their security, they wanted us in their country. They wanted to get rid of the threat of Saddam, so they wouldn't need US forces on their "holy soil". They also want us to get Israel to resolve the middle east crisis.

So I don't understand your alternative solution. Can you give some details of how and what you hope to accomplish?