OP-ED: The Vietnam War We Ignore, By LEWIS SORLEY, New York Times, October 17, 2009

Sorley making a point that anybody familiar with the CORDS (Civil Operations and Revolutionary Development Support) program's history knows well: We were figuring out quite nicely how to do nation-building at the end in Vietnam. The learning just came too slowly, because the military and the political leadership fought the logic too hard for too long. Bush-Cheney did the same in Iraq, until the 2006 election loss cleared their thinking.

So how Obama decides on Afghanistan is important: some bathwater to toss, perhaps, but careful with that baby--cause we spent plenty to grow it.