Afghanistan realism

Shorter General Stanley McChrystal: killing Afghan civilians in large numbers might just turn the people against us.

You think?

The latest "mistake," according to the US, resulted in 20-30 civilian deaths. (Hamid Karzai says 140: Charlie McCarthy, it seems, is talking back.)

McChrystal is hunkering down for a long-haul counterinsurgency assignment. What would happen if America (and presumably its allies) lost in Afghanistan? "I don't believe that the Taliban would take over Afghanistan; I think it would go back to what it was before 2001, and that would be an ongoing civil war between different factions."

Why stay? "I believe that Al Qaeda would have the ability to move back into Afghanistan, and I cannot imagine why they would not do that." Gosh, nothing about little girls going to school.

Meanwhile, the government of Taliban Steve is supporting peace talks.