[jatx]

IMHO, some variation on this theme is inevitable. The devil is in the details, though - the Taliban is not monolithic (as most of you know) and there are more opportunities for us to screw this up than to get it right.

So long as Afghanistan does not return to its haven status for AQ or provide material assistance to them, I could care less if they remain a dismal backwater for the remainder of history. Decapitating a future regime which reneges on its agreements with the West is easily within our power and would require far less blood and treasure than getting Afghans to leapfrog a millennium of foregone political and economic development.

Dozer, you seem to have a much more nuanced view of the Taliban than most people involved, let alone the public. My greatest fear here is Obama (of whom I am not a great fan) being tarred and feathered by members of the public who do not understand the human terrain in Afghanistan and simply react emotionally to the idea. Some serious education needs to begin sooner rather than later, or we will remain locked into our current course and trajectory.