Can This War Be Won?

Does anyone remember exactly what the war in Afghanistan is all about? Is it to keep the Taliban from regaining it's leadership? Is it to dismantle al Qaeda? Is it to find the ever elusive Bin Laden?

I do know we've spent a lot of time pacifying Karzai. We've made it a fight by permission to appease his complaints about civilian deaths. We've kept his corrupt government in place and are allowing them to negotiate with the Taliban. Excuse me. Negotiate just what? I've never quite been able to figure that out.

Now I learn in this morning's paper that he's okayed a major security crackdown in Khandahar, birthplace of the Taliban! The half million people living in the region are scared it will bring more bloodshed. Bet on it. Yet he makes a public relations tour trying to get them to put aside their fears. Right.

What isn't clear to me is just who the crackdown is aimed. Insurgents. Would that be al Qaeda or Taliban? Criminals. Does that include Karzai's thugs? Wealthy power brokers. They could be just about anyone. What a impressive task they've set for themselves. I hope no civilians are harmed. I'm not sure criminals and power brokers are not civilians!

On the other side of the coin a report says Pakistan is arming and training the Taliban. Strange bedfellows for a U.S. ally. They of course deny it. Never the less, it is known that Pakistan intelligence agencies have kept contact with the Taliban just as their government supposedly denounces them. Talk about forked tongue!

Meanwhile our troops continue to be killed. Today is flag day. Ours is flying. My hope it is one day it will fly to honor those who served, past tense, rather than those who continue to serve and die. For what?