Afghanistan-Who is in Charge? The Horse or the driver?

Entirely too much has been made of whether or not we accede to General McCrystals' request for more troops. For the second time this week I make a silly Horse analogy. Not the horse, but the analogy.

I was always taught to, first, define the problem, then develop a solution and finally formulate a plan to implement the solution. Decide where you need to go (the driver wants a cheeseburger), decide how best to get there (by cart - it's too far to walk) and finally get moving, to your destination. In this silly story, the horse directed by the driver over the most appropriate path, direct, avoiding dangerous neighborhoods and, perhaps via scenic park drive. This is as a simple process. Deciding what it takes to get the job done before clearly defining the job makes no sense at all.

So, why does it matter what General McCrystal has requested? At least not until we understand clearly where we want to go and how we plan to get there. At this point, General McCrystals input is essential and should be seriously considered.

I have yet to hear a clearly defined reason of what we want to accomplish in Afghanistan except the mushy mealy phrase "defeat Al Quaida". Well, that may, or may not according to some, be a worthy goal. But, if it is a worthy goal, then it requires a worthy definition. Confine them to an area, arrest them all, kill them all, disillusion their followers? What are we trying to accomplish here. Defeat is an awfully big word.

Once we define our mission, which will always be in a state of flux, we need a strategy for implementing our goal. General, McCrystal, and the rest of the military heads can give us some serious input here.

With a clearly defined both goal and how we intend to get there it is time to turn it over to the military. Bearing in mind that we control the reins and need to keep our eyes on the path and make the necessary course changes if the horse wanders or unexpected traffic blocks the path.

This all seems ridiculously simple. If we let the horse decide where to go we will invariably end up eating oats.