[lavrenti]

It is not in the how or who, but when. These operations take time. I'm patient.

[Travis McGee]

There will be operations in Afghanistan, and I hope that it works out for us.

But I recall going personally to Beirut in January of 1983 as a young officer with great optimism and high hopes and the best intentions.

Beirut, (with our fleet anchored within rifleshot), was a pimple on Afghanistan's camel, and we know how Beirut turned out. And Somalia later.

Great intentions are not worth crap in the middle east.

Read "Blackhawk Down" about the operation to snatch Aidid's lieutenents THREE MILES from the US Army Ranger/Delta compound.

Again: big as Texas, 18,000' mountains, 500 to 1000 miles from our fleet.

Catching Osama is going to be no piece of cake unless he's real stupid. And we know he ain't stupid.