Cannoneer and Doug,

What effect did TORA BORA have on our involvement in Afghanistan and consequent decision to stay and let big army lose the population?

My take in the wake of the frustration and knowledge that Bin Laden and the Taliban both had just skipped over the border was certain (although I thought then and still believe OBL is in Iran, without any substantiation or evidence.) What then, say thanks guys and pull out? Allow the Taliban to reconstitute and return with a vengence? Invade Pakistan? What would you have done? We couldn’t get DoS Guys enough in there to staff anything much less outreach to the country side, and there isn’t enough SOF in the world to sit in every hamlet and act as a liaison to the tribes. the 52′s were too few and the cost too great so we’ve improvised and sent UAV’s in against the guys in Pakistan.

The results, despite the MSM and PSM have been devastating to the Taliban (and Al Queda) and effectively forced the government of Pakistan to get off the pot, without setting off a nuclear Holocaust or losing “friendly” control of the Paki nukes. The pressure is on Pakistan to perform now from and this is most important, the Afghani and Pakistani citizens who could care less about the US presence in either country so long as they are killing Al Queda and Taliban and who do care about their own hides.

I suppose you could say it is all Bush’s fault, but I wouldn’t want president Obama to be seen as embracing another of President Bush’s policies.

So did I miss something or is eliminating the long term terrorist threat of the Taliban and ISI not a good thing.