Behind me in the photo are 1,195 candidates for the National Military Academy of Afghanistan Class of 2011 who are competing for 350 appointments. They are taking the "Concord Exam," which is the Afghan version of the SAT. Despite an increase in violence, there are about 200 more applicants than last year, and the quality of this pool keeps improving as the Afghan education system continues its recovery from Taliban repression.

I have been annoyed lately by some of the reporting on Afghanistan. There's the story line of a "resurgent Taliban" because of Karzai Administration failures and Coalition bungling. No one I know denies there are shortcomings and challenges yet to be overcome here, but I cringe at the implication that Taliban efforts are in any way legitimate - they are not "freedom fighters." The lead story line ought to be of a religious political movement based on violence and a self-serving interpretation of the Koran that has nothing to offer the people of Afghanistan except what it offered from 1996-2001: estrangement from the international community, no hope for 50% of the population (females), proliferation of the drug trade with no curtailment, exacerbation of tribal differences rather than emphasis on Afghan nationalism, and heightened tension with Pakistan.

It is good that our politicians visit Afghanistan (and Iraq) in search of "ground truth." Recently I had the privilege to join a couple US senators, Jack Reed (D-RI) and Dick Durbin (D-IL), on a one-day trip from Kabul to Ghazni province. From their interaction with American Soldiers and the questions they asked Afghans (see photo), one couldn't tell that both senators are members of the Bush Administration's loyal opposition. I swelled with pride in our political system as I observed the non-partisan Americanism of the two senators. It is my hope that their positions on this war will be shaped by what they see overseas, not by political expediencies. (Kudos to Jack Reed, USMA '71, who called my wife to tell her I'm doing O.K. That's taking care of constituents!)

In 1979 The American International School of Kabul closed its doors after 14 years of educating Afghans and foreign nationals. The Soviets occupied the campus during the 1980s before it was completely ravaged during the civil war of the 1990s. Now, Americans have recovered the site and opened The American University of Afghanistan, financed in large part by USAID. The AUAf Dean of Academics gave me a campus tour and showed me the master plan. Impressive! Education is one of the many "front lines" in this war. Hopefully, the Dean and I will be able to establish a mutually beneficial relationship between AUAf and the Afghan Military Academy.

Paul