We need to get back to foreign policy realism based on our concrete national interests, back in the day of George Shultz, Brent Scowcroft and the like. Captain America cannot save Afghanistan or Pakistan. Let them stew in their own juices. I feel sorry as hell for the folks over there who have to suffer under the Taleban or al-Qa'ida yoke, but we ought not continue to keep our troops in that hellhole. Our Pakistani so-called allies our stabbing us in the back. Enough is Enough. Abandon the isolated forward positions, and redeploy the troops to areas where they are no longer occupying false military positions. I define a false military position as one that is sufficiently isolated and vulnerable as to bring it under regular attacks that result in casualties. These false positions are being held primarily to garner prestige for the brass and create the illusion that were are pacifying Afghanistan. We ought to apply a cost-benefit analysis and redeploy our forces to hold that which is essential and defensible.