I wonder why, when no army since Alexander has managed to retain control over what is now Afghanistan, that the US and it “Allies” including Australia think they can.

The leaks over the weekend on Wikileaks, http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/26/world/asia/26warlogs.html?_r=1  puts a lot of “texture” in relation to the effort into the public domain, and I wonder why we are there.

I know the “nip terrorism in the bud” argument, and it has validity, but I cannot understand why we do not simply napalm every poppy field in the joint. When police aeroplanes in NSW can pick up a few “pot” plants g rowing in State forests, it would be simple to remove the Taliban’s source of money. If they are forced to conduct the war by throwing stones, it would cut down the death toll of soldiers sent to the place, and would have to make the process of bringing some sort of order such that average people could lead their lives in relative security easier.