The original quagmire

I tire of naysayers calling every conflict we get into "another Vietnam." 

But here I go.

Vietnam and Afghanistan share:

• Terrain inhospitable to outsiders. Vietnam has unspeakable heat and humidity, the creepy crawlers that thrive in such (think scorpions, leeches and snakes), and vegetation killed only by poison dropped from the air. Afghanistan is hot, then cold, then hot. Much of the land is arid. And we're talking mountains, with peaks topping 24,000 feet.

• A history of wearing down invaders via "asymmetric warfare."  That means the natives, armed with sticks, stones and ingenuity, beat the crap out of warriors equipped with the latest gear. The Soviets were a superpower who starved their people so their army could have the finest; Afghans ground 'em into the dirt.

• A resilient population who has hunkered down and laughed in the face of far more than what the modern "fixers" from other lands can bring. 

I want to help Afghanistan as much as any American does. But countries choose their fate and direction. The picture accompanying this post is from a National Geographic cover from 1985, when the Soviets were still in Afghanistan. Click the post title to see a 2002 follow-up story and photo about the life that little girl came to lead.

We ain't gonna Americanize Afghanistan, folks. It's their country; it's their culture. We have but one reason to be there: the capture of the man who masterminded the Sept. 11 attacks. 

Go all in with our highly skilled special operations guys to corner bin Laden.

The rest of our grunts and gruntessses--get them home now. We have no business trying to run affairs in an ancient land.