[Brainpole]

There isn't a "war" in Afghanistan. There's never been a "war" in Afghanistan. (There's hardly an "Afghanistan" either - just a collection of tribes, ethnicities, languages, religions ...)

The people who pay attention knew perfectly well that Afghanistan is hardly a state. & they knew perfectly well that - after years of fighting off the Soviets & then fighting over the spoils - there was barely any government @ all there. W had to do something, & so we bombed & drove off the Taliban & then Al Queda.

But we never intended to "fix" Afghanistan. & W made no bones about it; the war was strictly to strike back @ Al Queda.

"Win" in Afghanistan. You might as well talk about "victory" from the point of view of the ball in a game of buzkashi - Afghan polo with a headless sheep carcass. No matter who "wins", the sheep is still dead, headless, & bleeding all over the field. Which is, come to think about it, a pretty fair description of our man in Kabul ...