I look at a $25 Globe and here is what I see.

[ThomWV]

My son has a World Globe. It sits on a pedestal such that you can spin the world on its axis. Its surface is textured so you can feel the mountains and ocean trenches. Thanksgiving day I spun it around to Afghanistan and looked at it. At a glance a narrative came to mind that explains our involvement in that country, one that makes sense. Here it is:

The bad guys are in Pakistan. We drove them out of Afghanistan and our forces present a wall on the border between the two countries that prevents them from crossing back in. Without Afghanistan they have nowhere to go. To the north there is China, to the East India - neither of which is in any way at all going to allow them to cross over their borders. In truth we don't care a thing about Afghanistan, just containing Pakistan. The resistance to our occupation of Afghanistan by various factions from within its borders is a growing nuisance for our military.

So they won't be going into China and they won't be going into India, if we stay in Afghanistan then all it takes is to somehow get Pakistan to go after them. Apparently that will require bribery on an nearly unheard of scale, but I'm sure we're up to it. In the end the bad guys come up dead and our guys come home.

If the President had told me that or something very much like it last night then I could have supported his decision to escalate in Afghanistan. As it is I have no idea why we are there and he didn't say anything last night to inform me in a believable way.

[NYC_SKP]

1. You observations are just about perfect.

I would add that Afghanistan and Pakistan are very bumpy on that world globe and it makes matters more challenging, geographically speaking.

:P

[jkshaw]

2. I guess he expects his people to know a little

geography.

[Subdivisions]

3. It might be prudent to keep an eye on India considering

that lavish dinner last week. All that pomp and pageantry and flat-out ass-kissing of Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh may be an indication of a certain understanding regarding geo-political strategy in that neighborhood. During that whole thing I wondered what the big deal was. But I also have to admit that I never really caught on as to the content of discussions between him and President Obama. I don't know if it's because of the publicity of the party itself or the party-crasher distraction afterwards or just a general oblivion to it on my part. Now I'm curious and have to try to find out what was borne out of their meetings.

[ThomWV]

5. I am certain that the dinner did not go unnoticed - not by a long shot

Now I'm going to stick my foot in my mouth. As I understand India most of the country is divided into states but in the north there are these other things that are sort of like Princedoms. They are run by (I won't even come close on the spelling) Sheiks (the guys who wear the Turbins) who are in a Governmental sense holdovers from an earlier time. That's probably all wrong and I'd be pleased to be corrected but at the moment that is my vivid misunderstanding. At any rate these governors of the northern provinces, including those that surround the disputed region of Kashmir, are not going to be very receptive to Muslim fanatics trying to pass over into their territory. Hindus are funny that way.

I also see India and the most natural of allies for us. We have an awful lot in common and not one reason on the face of god's green earth to dislike one another. As I see it we should be as close to India as we are to Canada. Sure, there might be some minor disputes, but absolutely nothing that could actually come between us.

As I said, probably and misguided and misinformed opinion, but I'm sure willing to be corrected.

[Skink]

4. He atleast could have said it's Pakistan we are trying to contain.

the way I see it now he outlined an exit strategy. Rotate in 30,000 and have a time table. The people protesting this move want us to be there forever.

[ThomWV]

6. Just say he thinks it will take Pakistan 18 months to kill them all, and we'll guard

We'll guard the border so they don't have anywhere to escape to. Tell us its in the bag, with the rigged election of that guy in Pakistan we've got a guy we can bribe into killing anyone and everyone if that's what it takes.