Holbrooke would do very well to remember the consequences of the Roman,Mongolian,British,Russian invasions of yesteryear.
Let's take Russia to start with because it was at that time,that along with Osama Bin Laden and his American-funded mujahideen(then called "freedom fighters" by the west,now called "terrorists by the west),there was a GENERAL world battle-cry to all the Islamic world,to come to Afghanistan/Pakistan,and "fight the Russians" and save the Muslim people from the 'communist' 'atheists'.
And they CAME in the thousands(funded by Saudi,UAE,Iran,America,Britain etc).
The Afghan people had NEVER seen so many Arabs for years lol!
And look what happened to the Ruskies.
RETREAT! RETREAT! LEAVE THE TANKS! RETREAT! DOSVIDANYA!
Right now,thanks to Bush and Cheney et al,who have made the words "United States of America"(and thereby "American") a blasphemy in the Middle East/Indonesia/Central and South Eastern Asia/Eastern Europe etc,the NEW battle-cry to fight the "infidel" is crossing the mountains,and oceans AGAIN!
This time it's "come and fight the Americans"(another,in the long line of nationalities the Afghan people have been forced to fight to defend their homeland,lifestyle and culture).
OBAMA! Learn by your history books.
The ONLY way to win "the hearts and minds" of the Afghan/Pakistan people,is to LEAVE THEM IN PEACE!
That's the REAL "VICTORY".
The rest is a blood-soaked sham!
EIGHT YEARS and we STILL haven't 'claimed' OBL or ANYONE of any REAL,factual criminality.
What's the matter Mr Pressie?
Anyone would think you DON'T want to catch Bin Laden(nudge! nudge! wink wink!)
More use to the "war on terror"(by terror) ALIVE and free EH?(wink wink).
Just like the Loch Ness monster and the abominable snowman.
Good industry OILERS!

The last eight years(including Iraq)is the BEST 'GIFT' and bonus you could have ever given OBL or the Taliban!
Thousands of DEAD and INNJURED AMERICANS.An exhausted military.No battle plan.And TRILLIONS of dollars in debt,with an economic depression bringing the US down(with the help of Israel).
Oh yes! Barack. Those who hate America for our BULLYING,OCCUPYING,INVASIONS,TORTURING,DETAINING,PRIVATE MURDERING MERCENARIES,must be rubbing their hands WITH GLEE.
"Winning hearts and minds"?
Yeh right!
And how many MORE THOUSANDS Americans must die? Or Foreign locals?
Bring our boys and girls HOME ALIVE with their sanity,genitalia and limbs intact.
Forget this cra* of our generals 'consoling' and'apologising'and 'reimbursing'(financially) the locals for all the innocent civilian women,children and innocent men(not Taliban or OBL's)MURDERED/BOMBED by our drones or shot by troops('accidentally').
"Yes! it was a very regrettable 'incident'. By the way,how much IS a wife or son/daughter worth now? Sgt,pay this man. Then he can go and buy some explosives to come back and attack our boys,because we've made him HATE us so much".

How does the PROFIT from our occupations/invasions compare with ALL THE young American LIVES LOST?
Are you getting a good deal,per corpse,Barack?
How much profit are you gettng from all the amputees and permanently PTSD'd?
How many US corpses is ONE corporate 'golden parachute' PAYOFF worth now,Mr President?
Let's take the bonuses of the CEO's at GM,GE,BOEING,etc and all the corporate banks/treasury/reserve? Let's take say 20 CEO's.
How many corpses in body bags,stacked up,are those BILLIONS WORTH Barack?

Why don't you ask the Russians? They remember their post cold-war economic collapse(as Robert Rubin does TOO).

A New Afghanistan Nightmare
By Ramzy Baroud

"When US envoy to Afghanistan, Richard Holbrooke met with Afghanistan’s ‘democratically’ installed President Hamid Karzai in Kabul on February 14, he may have just learned of the historic significance of the following day. February 15 commemorates the end of the bloody Russian campaign against Afghanistan (August 1978-February 1989).

But it is unlikely that Holbrooke will absorb the magnitude of that historic lesson. Both he and the new US President Barack Obama are convinced that the missing component for winning the war in Afghanistan is a greater commitment, as in doubling the troops, increasing military spending, and, by way of winning hearts and minds, investing more in developing the country. That combination, the US administration believes, will eventually sway Afghans from supporting the Taliban, tribal militias, Pashtun nationalists and other groups. The latter is waging a guerilla struggle in various parts of the country, mostly in the south, to oust Karzai’s government and foreign occupation forces. While Kabul was considered an “oasis of calm” – by Jonathan Steele’s account – during the Soviet rule, it’s nowhere close to that depiction under the rule of the US and its NATO allies, who had plenty of time, eight long years, to assert their control, but failed..."
http://www.countercurrents.org/baroud210209.htm

Video of why Obama SHOULD NOT be trying to do what Israel wants him to do and what the Romans,Mongols,British and Russians FAILED TO DO,in thousands of YEARS.
Obama, these people should be our allies,and right now YOU are doing just what BUSH DID and MAKING THEM HATE US MORE,with war and death.
Bring our boys and girls HOME,you will not conquer this region,and WHY WOULD you feel the NEED if we only want PEACE? These people are NOT OUR ENEMY!
Do you want the Hindu Kush to become the Hindu/America KUSH,Barack?????
I don't THINK so kiddo!

http://americansjourney.blogspot.com/2009/02/pakistan-gun-market-video-look-before.html

Peace,Salaam,Shalom.