a smarter military strategem...

I'll buy this:

WASHINGTON – A classified Pentagon report urges President Barack Obama to shift U.S. military strategy in Afghanistan, de-emphasizing democracy-building and concentrating more on targeting Taliban and al-Qaida sanctuaries inside Pakistan with the aid of Pakistani military forces.

Setting aside for now a "classified Pentagon report" winding up on the internet (Daniel Ellsberg, call your office), nation-building Afghanistan always struck me as idiotic. The Soviets merely wanted to occupy the hellish place and look what happened to the Soviet Union. No, better we chase the Taliban hither and yon for eternity while keeping our troops out of harm's way as much as possible. It'll cost less too. If we can't build a democracy there, at least we can prevent it from resettling into that ugly theocracy again.

Meanwhile, why don't we build a democracy where the people actually want one -- like North America for example, now that we've overthrown the little dictator.