Afghanistan: Mission unaccomplished

Things have not been going well in Afghanistan recently. The Taliban is on the rise again outside Kabul -- and maybe inside it too, heroin is the cash crop of choice, and now, the Washington Post tells us that foreign leaders are losing faith in Karzai.

KABUL, Afghanistan, June 25 -- Many Afghans and some foreign supporters say they are losing faith in President Hamid Karzai's government, which is besieged by an escalating insurgency and endemic corruption and is unable to protect or administer large areas of the country.

As a sense of insecurity spreads, a rift is growing between the president and some of the foreign civilian and military establishments whose money and firepower have helped rebuild and defend the country for nearly five years. While the U.S. commitment to Karzai appears solid, several European governments are expressing serious concerns about his leadership.

If any war was the right war in response to 9-11, it was Afghanistan. The country was harboring bin Laden and the taliban were horrible in their own right. We went in. We had every opportunity to capture bin Laden. We had every opportunity to take down the Taliban permanently. Instead, we immediately re-focused on Iraq, pulled out most of our troops, and handed the job of catching bin Laden over to his allies. Now, the country seems to be in a downward spiral. The Taliban are again in control of much of the country.

Heck of a job, Bushie!