Every Civilian's Death Diminishes Us,

There [in Afghanistan] Is Also A Growing Insurgency Threat From Al-qaida, The Taliban And Other Extremist Elements, Some Of Which Comes From The Tribal Areas Of Pakistan, As Well As From The Northwest Frontier Province And Baluchistan.

I Will Not Ever Run For Political Office, I Can Assure You Of That.

Reconciliation Is What Takes Place, Of Course, At Higher Levels. President Karzai Has Been Very Clear About The Red Lines For Reconciliation, Accept The Constitution, Lay Down Their Weapons, Cut Their Ties With Al Qaeda And Essentially Become Productive Or At Least Participating Members Of Society In That Regard.

In Afghanistan You Are Not Rebuilding, You Are Building. There Is Very Limited Infrastructure And Extreme Terrain, With Deserts In The South And Mountains So High In Some Areas That Helicopters Don't Even Fly Well At A Certain Altitude Because The Air Becomes So Thin. The Country Has A Serious Problem Of Illiteracy, Especially After So Many Years Of War And Taliban Rule.

There Has, Indeed, Been Very Substantial Progress In Iraq Over The Past Year - Violence Is Down By 80 Percent, Civilian Deaths By About The Same, And So On.