Confusistan

The latest news from Afghanistan is grim: 8 U.S. soldiers killed in a remote eastern province. The recent election, which should have solidified the new democracy, appears to have been rife with corruption. At home, President Obama is facing pressure from both the left and the right, and for those of us who agreed with candidate Obama that the Cheney-Bush Administration squandered our gains in the country which actually contained those who attacked us on 9/11 by fomenting their pre-determined (as in before even getting elected) war in Iraq, we're also concerned about creating an Obama Vietnam, pace President Lyndon Baines Johnson.

There's an interesting collection of contributor advice in The New York Times that's worth a read. Unfortunately, the first entry is entitled "Reform of Go Home" which would seem to be answered by the Afghan election news cited above. Disconcerting notes include this being a "Type B" war where the enemy has little to lose (i.e. no land) and uses the length of time against the democracy (U.S.A.) trying to beat them, and the funding of the Taliban by Pakistani sources.

So as there's been a legitimate debate about U.S. internal policy in the comments section of this blog recently, here's my question: do we know what to do next in Afghanistan yet, are we waiting on the President's decision to react pro/con, or does someone have a strong opinion about what our country should be doing -- or not doing -- over there?