It is official.

The war in Afghanistan is now the second longest war in the history of the United States. Only the Vietnam War lasted longer. Also it is apparent that the death toll in that conflicted nation is, on a weekly basis, passing that which occurs in Iraq. In fact, this month was the most deadly for Allied Forces so far in the war. As we exit one war, we seem to be escalating a second. Each day now, the ally forces in Afghanistan are suffering serious casualties. With the Taliban holding control over vast amounts of territory, the outlook at best is bleak.

The United States appears to be switching strategies and ending the saturation bombings that killed over 800 civilians last year. Those deaths have created a huge backlash to our presence in Afghanistan. Now, we are pulling back from the bombing and going with a 'governance strategy' which is the modern day version of Vietnamization. Instead of 'shock and awe' when the Taliban is discovered in an area, it is a more 'isolated and build' strategy. The hope of the Obama Administration is to be able to hold the Taliban to very isolated areas and give time for the Afghanistan government to create an infrastructure and jobs so that we will win over the local people.

This is a big gamble given the fluidity of the Taliban. It has the capacity to melt into the countryside and suddenly emerge on a new target. The time it will take to attempt to create good government, destroy the opium fields that finance the insurgency and build good will among the people with good works could take years and years. There will be no problem passing the Vietnam War as the longest war in American history and the results are far from certain. The strategy sounds good but the reality of implementing it is another story.

The Taliban is not going to fade away into the countryside.

This is a topic that deserves vigorous debate in America versus the quiet that is now taking place.