F R I D A Y , M A R C H 2 5 , 2 0 0 5Afghanistan Becomes A Tragic Failureby Michael in New York on 3/25/2005 10:27:00 PMActually, the front page article in the New York Times had thisbanal headline: "Pentagon Sees Antidrug Effort InAfghanistan." The story details how the military -- which isloathe to involve itself in fighting the drug war around theworld for various reasons -- is now getting intimately involvedin Afghanistan.That bland intro obscures the real and tragic news from one ofBush's crowning "successes." According to the New York Times,the latest harvest of opium and poppy "far exceed even themost alarming predictions." The poppy harvest alone increased64% in one year.</p><p> Furthermore, the Defense Dept. hasincreased by 400% the money it's requesting for this campaignfrom the year before, from about $60 million to $257 million.Here's the money quote:"There is wide consensus in the government and the militaryand among humanitarian organizations that the drug trade nowthreatens all of America's goals in Afghanistan," says the NYT.It's been widely reported that at least one-third of the countryis controlled by the Taliban (hey, didn't we destroy them?) ordrug lords.</p><p> Only a few major cities are safely in the hands ofKarzai.</p><p> The UN reports that Afghanistan is now responsible for87% of the world's opium production.</p><p> So how exactly isAfghanistan a rousing success in Bush's eyes? 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