The Iraqi and American army are busily tidying up Al Qaeda, who have begun to relocate to Afghanistan for a more “pristine” jihad.

Tonight Robin Lustig was reporting on the attack on Al Qaeda.

Who do he call in for expert opinion?

Juan Cole.

Jesus wept.

And here is Juan Cole on Afghanistan, getting the boot in early on Obama:

Before he jumps into Afghanistan with both feet, Obama would be well advised to consult with another group of officers. They are the veterans of the Russian campaign in Afghanistan. Russian officers caution that Afghans cannot be conquered, as the Soviets attempted to do in the 1980s with nearly twice as many troops as NATO and the U.S. now have in the country, and with three times the number of Afghan troops as Karzai can deploy. Afghanistan never fell to the British or Russian empires at the height of the age of colonialism.

Nor will the Afghans fall to the Taliban. That’s the point. We are not fighting the Afghans, we are fighting alongside the Afghans.