[wjersey]

"It’s a mystery why these bases were not established five years ago." -- I agree

[zarf]

Iraq was a priority. Begging the question...

[Paleo Conservative]

"It’s a mystery why these bases were not established five years ago." -- I agree

What's riduculous is that it's necessary to have one now. A UAV found bin Lauden back in the fall of 2001, but some Pentagon lawyers ordered the Air Force not to fire the Hellfire missles onboard at bin Lauden.

[RedRover]

The men serving at this base deserve the thanks of their nation. I hope someday we know who their names.

[pissant]

Happy Hunting, good soldiers.

[Redbob]

"As the smoke settled, 19 dead militants were yanked from the battlefield."

It's a mystery to me why anyone calls these terrorist scum "militants."

Huey Newton was a "militant;" these muslims are just pig sh!t.

[McGavin999]

Pray for these young warriors, they are in the belly of the beast.

[theDentist]

...decapitation strikes against their leadership.

Oooh I likes the sound of that!

[bkepley]

"It’s a mystery why these bases were not established five years ago."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Dien_Bien_Phu

Not saying that's what it is I just hope they learned the lessons.

[Billthedrill]

Hmm...anyone who thinks that U.S. troops can't function in that environment just as well if not better than the natives doesn't know them. They may or may not stick around after the first snow due to logistics issues, but their presence until then is a real problem for the bad guys.

Now for the propaganda part. The hold the tribals have over the area sways with the power of the moment (as it has for all of recorded history) and if the terrorists can say "here is a place where you may not go" the locals pretty much have to put up with it. If they wind up getting hunted and hounded, the tribes will be the first to learn of it. We need to help that process along.

[Alas Babylon!]

An Unholy Trinity of Northeastern Insurgents

Yeah, Kerry's and Kennedy's Massachusetts and Clinton's and Schumer's New York!!!

[Chena]

"It’s a mystery why these bases were not established five years ago." -- I agree

Things in realtime cannot be established as quickly as they do in cyberspace. There are hurdles that the armchair viewers cannot even begin to comprehend.

God bless our military. As we sit and chat in the comfort of our homes, they are sitting in the viper's nest.

[El Gato]

Sounds like Dien Bien Phu ..... but is probably intended to be more like Khe Sanh, which it likely will be. That is, it will be a magnet to suck the bad guys in to get killed.

[justshutupandtakeit]

Why because we didn't have you geniuses planning all this.