Robert Mitchum played the demented preacher Harry Powell, one of the great cinematic bogeymen of all time who was all the more menacing because his nastiness was superficially overlaid with piety. Often triumph and tragedy are a hairbreadth apart. War is one of those enterprises in which the ending depends on the choices we make. Once a nation goes down that road, it should decide to win it or up stakes. Bing West has shown where the chances and the dangers are.

It’s useless to pretend that political feelings aren’t running high, but the reality is that since the US is in Afghanistan, all practical means must be found to win it. It’s an undertaking that goes beyond partisanship. My guess is that the cast of characters managing the conflict in Afghanistan will have as many changes as were seen in Iraq. But the story will go on beyond the professional fates of the individual characters.