Senator McCain,

Sir, thank you for your service in the military and throughout all of your years of public service. I hope you know we are all pulling for your recovery (thanks also for the no vote on the health care legislation).

I certainly cannot claim first hand experience in Afghanistan (like you have had), but I seem to remember that a great deal of the problems revolve around the Afghan Government not having much credibility with the general population of Afghanistan, with the ease with which Talban forces can disappear into the mountains (and over the border), and also with an economy that runs almost entirely on narcotics and graft.

I may be missing something here, but how does your plan deal with any of the problems of governance, easily fungible borders, and kleptocracy? I am not sure the application of military power, even if better applied, really solves the core problem we face (that the Afghani government isn’t seen as legitimate). Why am I wrong?