Is this Barack Obama's foreign policy judgment to keep HIS young people happy, and his picture on the cover of HIGH TIMES and the Rolling Stone mag?. This is "the rest of the story" kept hidden from you, to not learn the "WHY's" its going on more there. Opium production in Afghanistan, which provides more than 90 percent of the world's heroin, broke all records in 2006, reaching a historic high despite ongoing U.S.sponsored eradication efforts. In addition to a 26 percent production increase over past year for a total of 5,644 metric tons the amount of land under cultivation in opium poppies grew by 61 percent. Cultivation in the two main production provinces, Helmand in the southwest and Oruzgan in central Afghanistan, was up by 132 percent. Taliban forces is the main impediment to stabilization and reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan, and the U.S. military investment has far exceeded anti-narcotic and development programs. Farmers who cultivate opium poppies receive only a small percentage of the profits, the crop provides up to 12 times as much income per acre as conventional farming, and there is violent local resistance to eradication.

To simplify... under the Taliban, Afghan production of opium was almost zero. Under George W Bush, Aghanistan grows more opium than the world can consume.

There is no "U.S. sponsored eradication effort". American commanders allow farmers to grow opium in the hope of gaining their allegience.

Had two new hip replacements under Bush's Health Care System it must be his fault the surgery was so sucessful and recover is fantastic. Thanks George! I'd still be on the waiting list with our neighbors in the north.

It's hard to understand what that has to do with Obama visiting Afghanistan but congratulations anyway.

It sounds like you have insurance. What would the same experience be like for someone who can't afford it or isn't covered for some conditions that they have? With more and more Americans losing their jobs or having only marginal employment there are a lot of working people without insurance and insurance companies are dissallowing more and more claims.

Who gets the credit for that?

So in short what your saying is the Republican's say "hey, this creates high paying jobs" so stall as long as you can to correct this problem over there, and tie the hands of the troops from doing their job's right, and hand out more "stop-loss" Orders from The President when troops are to come home after their tour there, to get more money from Congress and kick-backs from those to for doing that part plus votes?. Or the commanders hands are all ties up and have to allow farmers to grow opium in the hope of gaining their allegience ?. Either way, there's way to much black Afghanistan Hash laced with china-white-heroin and coated in 60% to 80% opium for them to keep smoking in their 8 stem water pipes, that's nothing new, I seen it there back in the 60's. Can you reason with a person under those conditions?. "NO".