Cape Elizabeth, Maine: Anthony Cordesman’s article “One war we can still win”, which was in the NY Times yesterday, detailed the worsening conditions in Afghanistan in terms of attacks on UN and Afghan forces, corruption and need of more money and training.

With the media’s and the military’s focus now on Iraq, is anybody else getting nervous about these conditions in Afghanistan?

Dana Priest: Everyone is very nervous about Afghanistan. There’s a growing awareness that it could, in fact, be lost. And in the not-so-distant future.

(and)

Fort Myer, Va.: If, as you say, “Everyone is very nervous about Afghanistan. There’s a growing awareness that it could, in fact, be lost. And in the not-so-distant future….” maybe the question to ask our political and/or military leadership is “Do we have any more resources left, financial, military personnel-wise (ground forces, intelligence, planners, etc) and/or international assistance left, that aren’t already working on Afghanistan or already committed to Iraq, and to a lesser degree, doing other real world/real time activities in the rest of the world?”

Dana Priest: The answer, of course, is no. We are now in a zero-sum situation. There are no more non-critical areas to pull people out of. So every move, just about, is a direct trade off with something else that is important.

I would venture to say that not nearly enough people are worried or even care about Afghanistan.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/…..01065.html

America’s war in Afghanistan is not about capturing Bin Laden or finishing the Taliban. It’s part of the larger Oil Wars. (Bin Laden’s banker, who is also his brother in-law, still lives untroubled on the shores of Lake Geneva. How hard would it have really been to seize all Bin Laden’s assets, and bring him in? It was obviously was never a priority.)

Afghanistan is crucial terrain if you happen to be fighting to gain control of Caspian Sea oil reserves and the network of pipelines to India. It’s also crucial terrain if you want to gain control of Iran’s oil. There is only one country left, which, if taken, would leave Iran completely surrounded and ready for full-on embargo: Syria.

I believe in a post yesterday, or recently, you were asking Mary where one of her lists of issues-needing-remedy, or lists of questions for the Executive Branch, had been posted, but she wasn’t sure which list you were looking for, or where it might be. Later it dawned on me that you may have been looking for the comments Mary made in the post by Christy asking readers for questions that the (make-believe) nomination hearing for Robert Gates ought to have been airing. Those lists of issues/questions by Mary in that thread registered with me, because they were just her ’stream of consciousness’ and yet they were very comprehensive. Here’s the post by Christy:

http://www.firedoglake.com/200…../#comments

Mary’s comments are at #65 and #76, in case those are the ones you’re looking for and in case you are still in search of them.

Karzai is a manipulator. He will say or do anything to move on his own agenda. Manly tears? Only if the man is a crocodile.

Opium is the product of choice in this war, versus oil in Iraq. That children or anyone dies over it is the tragedy.

I also think that the response to 9/11 should have been one of criminal investigation and prosecution of those found guilty.

Afghanistan– I am deeply sorry for you and your people.

This Christmas the so-called Christians will be out worshipping the Dollar Almighty, the peace activists will be out with their signs (that includes me), and our kids will be in some shithole bleeding and dying. Merry Christmas, my ass.

Never give up.

Hell, they’ve never even wept for all the AMERICAN children who’ve been left fatherless or motherless by their illicit wars. As long as the money keeps rolling in, neither Bush nor Cheney gives a fuck about dead kids.