I dont think sending in more troops is the answer, I think what we're doing now is the best course of action. However, I dont think policing the world is a good idea in the first place. The interests that brought us overseas in the first place ~40 years ago are nothing compared to the mess we're in now. We should've just kept to ourselves instead of
earning the hate of 2/3s of the world (I dont blame the rest of the world for hating us considering what we've been partially involved with, just my $.02).
That being said, we cant just go in and shake the hornets' nest of pissed off Muslims and run away after Afghanistan is done. All that leaves is 3-4 other pissed off countries with big weapons. Now that we've pissed everyone off, we might as well finish the job instead of coming back home and enjoying the next few decades of awkward tension with Iran, Saudis, etc like we are doing now with N. Korea. It'll be a Cold War with people who genuinely HATE US we religious passion, not a big balls contest with the Soviets.
You arent going to like this part: I believe in pre-emptive strike if the alternative is an uneasy tension. If we have reason to believe Iran intends to hurt us (including direct threats), hell yes, lets go now. Now that everyones pissed, lets finish taking out our enemies overseas. Instead, after Bush is gone and a polar opposite sits in the White House, we're going to dial back out military aggression 100%, which is too extreme a solution.
But hey that's what politics is; pleasing one group, pissing off another, and then it flips for a few years. Nothing really gets accomplished, and everyone loves to hate it. It keeps the writers of the Daily Show employed, and I think Jon Stewart is hilarious so it isnt all bad. Anyone seen the South Park about foreign policy? America needs the aggressive rednecks to balance out the hippie pussies, and vice versa. Brilliant.
The more I learn/watch/read about foreign policy, politics, and HISTORY, the more confident I am that this is going to end poorly but not finishing the job is going to be much, much worse.
Love you too, buddy.

We're keeping a political discussion out of Fight Club for more than a page.