THE FIELD MARSHAL SPEAKS OUT - AT 4:30 A.M. ET:  Top military strategist John Kerry, known to military historians for his opposition to anything that works, has now given us the benefit of his wisdom on the Afghan war.  Please make sure to take notes.  In ink:

WASHINGTON (AFP) – US Senator John Kerry on Monday accused former president George W. Bush's administration of "gross mishandling" of the Afghan war, and of leaving a terrible inheritance to President Barack Obama.

"On day one, this administration assumed responsibility for a war heading from strategic drift to a dangerous decline," Bush's rival in the 2004 US presidential election told the Council of Foreign Relations think-tank in Washington.

"Now it falls to all of us to get this right. You cannot understate the degree to which the Bush administration turned its back on Afghanistan completely," Kerry said.

"Because of the gross mishandling of this war by past civilian leadership, there are no great options for its handling today," said the chairman of the influential Senate Committee on Foreign Relations.

COMMENT:  What moves me about Kerry is his commitment to maintaining the morale of American troops.  That's just what they wanted to hear.  You can be sure that on every battle flag flown by our soldiers in Iraq there will soon be printed the fighting motto, "There are no great options." 

Do you feel a tear in the eye, an extra beat of the heart?  How thrilling it is to be living in this era, when inspiring fighters like John Kerry walk across the landscape. 

And remember:  If it rains a little harder in Afghanistan this year, if the winds are a little stronger, the nights a little colder, it's BUSH'S (!!) fault.

October 27,  2009