Afghanistan became the "forgotten war," but why? Afghanistan was Usama Bin Laden, and we couldn't find him. We had him on the run, probably flushed out of Tora Bora and into Pakistan. Does anyone believe Bin Laden is an operational leader any more? He may be a spiritual or inspirational figure or perhaps still a money-raiser, but he's not a commander. What in Afghanistan except Usama bin Laden is in America's vital national interest?

You might say it's the Taliban-sponsored al-Qaeda training camps in Afghanistan, but there are al-Qaeda training camps all over the world now, even in America. Are we going after all of them next? You might also say that the Taliban are mean and nasty and they could take over the country again, destabilize and even take over Pakistan, and get control of their nuclear weapons. Perhaps, but that's the Pakistani people's and military's problem, not ours.

The real reason that Afghanistan is the main focus now is twofold: one, Iraq has been relatively stabilized, so it in effect has been turned into the "forgotten war"; but the real reason: because candidate Barack Obama said so. He said it was the "real war," the war that had to be fought. Iraq was George Bush's mistake, but Afghanistan is a vital, necessary battlefield. It was nothing more than a campaign position, but it resonated throughout the country and helped to get him elected.

I reject that idea. Al-Qaeda hasn't been destroyed, but it has been broken up, thanks to stepped-up intelligence and policing all around the world. Usama bin Laden isn't in custody, but I don't think he's in control. So why are we in Afghanistan? And why should we send thirty thousand more troops there?

I'm not saying we should abandon Hamid Karzai, but we need to figure out what sort of government the Afghan people want, not what kind of government WE want. Hamid Karzai was OUR guy. Afghanistan is a tribal country. The tribes choose their leader, not the United States of America. In any case, protecting Karzai until we figure out what the people want doesn't take thirty thousand more troops.

We don't like the Taliban, but the Taliban ruled there for ten years. Why? Did the Afghan people like them? The Afghanis are supposed to be tough, independent fighters who have turned away outside invaders for centuries. If they didn't like the Taliban, why wouldn't the people turn on THEM? Adolf Hitler was a brutal leader with an elaborate internal security force, but he didn't rule because of fear--he ruled because the German people LIKED how he had transformed their country from a defeated and humiliated wreck after the First World War into a military and industrial powerhouse.

So don't be surprised any more by my objection to increasing troop levels in Afghanistan. This has more to do with President Obama fulfilling a campaign promise than it does national security. The U.S. military should not be in the nation-building business.

Here's my bottom line: Bring our troops home NOW, starting with all National Guard units; leave a small security and training force in place to support the Karzai regime until we discover if he can build a strong enough government and military to protect the country; and do all we can to support Pakistan against extremists.

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