Bush Admin. Rediscovers Afghanistan, To Send More Troops

After neglecting the war in Afghanistan in favor of Iraq, the prospect of defeat in that country as well as Iraq, was just too much to ignore:

Defense Secretary Robert Gates sees a rationale for sending more troops to Afghanistan, but the question he and President Bush face is how much more the military can be expected to contribute at a time when Bush is ramping up U.S. firepower in Iraq and the Persian Gulf.

This is the closest this White House will go to admit they are losing in Afghanistan:

"I think it is important that we not let this success here in Afghanistan slip away from us and that we keep the initiative," he told reporters at Bagram air base, the main U.S. military air hub in Afghanistan. "There's no reason to sit back and let the Taliban regroup."

They are also admitting that sending more troops to fight the forgotten war was going to put a "strain" on our forces further. Hasn't anyone ever told this President that fighting two wars simultaneously was poor military strategy; especially since we don't have the manpower:

Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said new troop commitments would further strain the U.S. military in the short run. But if done as part of a successful strategy against the Taliban, it might hasten the day when the U.S. military can withdraw its combat forces altogether, he said.

Sounds like a subtle slap at the President and his senseless military policies. Although, Gates is wrong on there being enough troops:

"I think we have the forces" needed to expand the military commitments in both Iraq and Afghanistan, Gates said. "What we have to look at is what the impact is if we were to add more forces here. Ultimately, obviously, it would be the president's decision."