IS AFGHANISTAN UNWINNABLE? YES - IF WE FAIL TO COMMIT TO VICTORY AT ANY COST

TWO ITEMS:

NYTIMES/AP: US: No Way to Seal Afghan-Pakistan Border

There's no practical way for U.S. troops to seal Afghanistan's vast border with Pakistan and stop all Taliban fighters from slipping through, so they are focusing on defending vulnerable towns and fighting insurgents on Afghan soil, a U.S. military commander said Tuesday.

Army Col. Viet Luong said that "to secure the border in the traditional sense" would "take an inordinate amount of resources." He said it also would require far more cooperation from the tribes inside Pakistan who often provide Taliban fighters safe passage.

Other senior U.S. military officials have said they hope the Pakistan military does more to shut down Taliban hideouts. But the U.S. has denied reports that American forces are pushing to expand special operations raids inside Pakistan's tribal areas to target militants.

"It's naive to say that we can stop . . . forces coming through the border," said Luong, who oversees troops in a part of eastern Afghanistan that includes the volatile Khost province and 261 kilometers of border.

THIS THE ONLY PARTIALLY TRUE STATEMENT IN THE ARTICLE:

"to secure the border in the traditional sense" would "take an inordinate amount of resources."

THE FACT IS, THE RESOURCES ARE NOT INORDINATE; OUR COMMITMENT TO WINNING IS INSUFFICIENT: WE ARE UNWILLING TO USE THE WEAPONS WE NEED TO USE IN ORDER TO WIN.

WE SHOULD HAVE USED NUKES IN OCTOBER OF 2001 AGAINST BIN LADEN AND HIS ALLIES IN TORA BORA.

FDR AND TRUMAN WOULD HAVE, BUT BUSH WAS NOT WILLING TO DO WHAT HAD TO BE DONE; THAT'S WHY I HAVE LONG ARGUED THAT "DUBYA" STANDS FOR WIMP.

THE ENEMY IS WILLING TO WHATEVER THEY CAN TO WIN - AND FOR AS LONG AS IT TAKES.

THE ENEMY'S ABILITY TO INFLICT US A MORTAL-BLOW MIGHT BE SOMEWHAT LIMITED, BUT ONLY FOR THE TIME BEING.

THEY ARE COMMITTED TO THE LONG WAR - TO FIGHTING US UNTIL THEY CAN INFLICT UPON US A MORTAL-BLOW.

I FEEL IT IS BETTER FOR US AND ALL HUMANITY AND ALL FUTURE GENERATIONS IF WE DO IT TO THEM BEFORE THEY CAN DO IT TO US.

HERE IS MORE EVIDENCE THAT THE ENEMY IS WILLING TO DO WHATEVER IT TAKES: Insurgents Set Aside Rivalries on Afghan Border

Afghanistan-Pakistan border have increasingly been teaming up in deadly raids, in what military and intelligence officials say is the insurgents’ latest attempt to regain the initiative after months of withering attacks from American and allied forces.

New intelligence assessments from the region assert that insurgent factions now are setting aside their historic rivalries to behave like “a syndicate,” joining forces in ways not seen before. After one recent attack on a remote base in eastern Afghanistan, a check of the enemy dead found evidence that the fighters were from three different factions, military officials said.

In the past, these insurgent groups have been seen as sharing ideology and inspiration, but less often ideas and plans.

THEY ARE ALL MUSLIM - AND THAT'S ENOUGH TO UNITE THEM.

GITMO AND THE PALESTINIAN ARABS ARE NOT THE ENEMY'S CHIEF RECRUITING TOOLS.

THE KORAN - AND MOHAMED'S LIFE - ARE.

THE LONGER WE TAKE TO ACCEPT THAT - AND DO WHAT WE MUST INEVITABLY DO - THE STRONGER THEY GET AND THE MORE LIKELY THEY WILL WIN.