Tough Afghan Fight for Petraeus

Gen. David Petraeus has been here before: When he was assigned to lead the American fight in Iraq, hopelessness held the day. Now, he is charged with guiding the effort in Afghanistan where the same sense of desperation looms. There's one important difference to this job though. According to a report in The New York Times, Petraeus steps up in Afghanistan where his counterinsurgency strategy is already in place. Iraq required a strategic turn-around. But while Petraeus' approach to Iraq has been exported to Afghanistan, the two countries face very different sets of challenges. Afghanistan’s society has been shattered, its insurgency isn't concentrated in cities but spread throughout the country. One more difference? Petraeus must try to heal the wounds of an American foreign policy team turn asunder by the comments of Gen. Stanley McChrystal and his staff.