Here is a real eye-popper from that FPM symposium Stanley and Derb have discussed. It comes from the excellent Steve Schippert: “[T]he Taliban-al-Qaeda alliance is believed to have amassed combined-forces strength of about 200,000 fighters throughout the FATA and NWFP region [of Pakistan].”

Let that sink in – 200,000.

There are about 40,000 NATO troops in Afghanistan (20,000 U.S.).

Meanwhile, we are arguing over a temporary addition of up to 30,000 troops on top of the less than 150,000 in Iraq. Democrats want to wind all of it down, sooner rather than later.

Anybody want to guess what happens in the region if we leave Iraq too soon?