[Ol' Dan Tucker]

Yet the Marines are not destroying the plants. In fact, they are reassuring villagers the poppies won't be touched. American commanders say the Marines would only alienate people and drive them to take up arms if they eliminated the impoverished Afghans' only source of income.

Buying drugs --bad. Growing drugs --good.

Bush Tars Drug Takers With Aiding Terrorists:

The US government is stepping up its attempt to link the war on drugs and the war on terrorism.

Its office of national drug control policy is running advertisements which tell Americans that by buying drugs they may be financing terrorists - "whether you're shooting heroin, snorting cocaine, taking Ecstasy or sharing a joint in your friend's back yard"

Bush: Afghanistan is a victory over terrorism:

Both in the Rose Garden and in his address to a joint meeting of Congress, Karzai acknowledged a growing problem with drug trafficking -- used by some warlords to raise money for more weapons. Afghanistan is "adamant," Karzai said, about ending the drug problem.

"Drug profits undermine our efforts to build a health national economy," he told Congress. "... We are determined to cleanse Afghanistan of this menace."

[NormsRevenge]

as is happening in Iraq with Maliki using more and more Iraqi force on the Mahdi Army insurgents, hopefully Karzai will seek to do the same, we can only hope.

I won’t comment on PR wars/campaigns run over the years. T’wouldn’t be prudent.