The other war - the one in Afghanistan

The insurgency in Afghanistan is active and growing, with Taliban and drug traffickers working in close cooperation much as is done in Colombia. In Afghanistan the problem is growing rapidly, with the new opium crop in south Afghanistan expected to double this year. This is in the British sector. Along with the growth of the drug revenue, the insurgency is growing. This is from the Independent:

Engineer Mohammed Daoud, the governor of Helmand, stresses that the revenue from opium is fuelling the insurgency. " You cannot separate instablity and drugs in this province," he said. "The smugglers and drug dealers have very close connections with the Taliban and both support each other."

I strongly supported our invasion of Afghanistan, and still do. The real problem is that Afghanistan was within our capabilities to deal with, as long as we did not also unnecessarily invade Iraq. But that decision has been made and we are committed to two wars which have stretched American and British capabilities beyond current capacity. We now need to get serious and ramp up to handle them both. Screw Rummy. We need more troops on the ground in the two countries, and soon.

Or we need to get out of Iran as soon as possible, let the Iraqi government deal with the civil war we have set off, and focus on Afghanistan and our problems with Iran. There is no third viable course of action, and failure to recognize and act on this recognition is rank stupidity - stupidity which after five years I anticipate from the Bush administration.