The President, after months of deliberating, will soon announce his decision about how this country will wage war against the Taliban and al Quaeda in Afghanistan. By all accounts, he was deeply moved by the memorial ceremony at Fort Hood, and by the sacrifices our soldiers make in protecting this nation. I hope that he was moved enough to consider the human cost of escalating the conflict in Afghanistan. It is hard to imagine any possible scenario in which we accomplish a lasting victory there, one that stabilizes that tragic country and that makes us safer at home. What is much easier to imagine is a stream of flag-draped coffins and horribly maimed young men and women returning home from an unending series of fruitless battles in pursuit of the impossible dream of generals and politicians.

Topics: Afghanistan, casualties, Fort Hood, Obama, war, War on Terror