You're coming around. Reality is rearing it's ugly head, isn't it??!! Some observations.

Back to body counts as the ONLY way to measure progress. That's sad, and deceptive. Means nothing, especially when you're talking about airstrikes and artillery. It's what's done when the verifiable indicators of progress are bad. And they're bad. Opium production, for instance.

Here's another one. From the citation: "- - - massed assaults on coalition troops in two strongholds of Taliban militants and Afghanistan's rampant drug trade, officials said Wednesday."

Massed assaults? They're well enough manned, equipped and able to communicate they can muster MASSED ASSAULTS? Tragic.

From the citation: "Nearly six years after a U.S.-led offensive toppled the Taliban regime for sheltering Osama bin Laden, violence related to the insurgency has escalated."

Six years after Bush, and the violence is ESCALATING? Does it get worse than that? Just how impotent is the American military and NATO under Bush's tutelage? Scary.

From the citation: "About 400 villagers blocked a major highway Tuesday to protest the purported killing of two civilians by foreign troops during a search operation in the Zhari district of Kandahar province.

"Spokesmen from both NATO and the U.S.-led coalition said they had no reports of any search operations or civilian deaths in Zhari.

"Habibullah Jan, a lawmaker from Sanzari village, said NATO troops surrounded the village and killed a man and his son. He warned that if such things keep happening, "people will take up arms against the government and NATO."

Regardless of the truth, that's their reality. Needs more than simply saying we have no clue as to what's happening. None. Didn't know about the operation or casualties, though one helluva lot of Afghanis were upset. Probably more important to find out what happened than to just say they're all wrong.

I think you're correct. It is a dim, grim situation, mishandled from day one. Imagine what it will be like in another 6 years if nothing is done differently.

Arf