I really do believe that if we were not in Iraq right now, we could tell Afghanistan "Help us clean out that Taliban/Al-Quaeda nest in your border provinces or we will do it without your help." And they would have little choice but to comply.

As it is, they know we're spread too thin militarily in Iraq and have spent too much political capital to be able to pull it off. Hell, Musharraff hasn't even felt the need to punish that renagade nuclear scientist of his who was a confessed traitor to his own country.

"What ifs" and alternative histories are pointless exercises, but one thing is certain. We certainly can't do it now. Maybe we could have done it then.