Gen. Petraeus Assesses Afghan War

The new chief of the U.S. Central Command, Gen. David Petraeus, is credited with turning the tide in Iraq. Now he took a firsthand look at the war in Afghanistan on Tuesday. He will meet with Afghan leaders and top U.S. military officials, including U.S. Gen. David McKiernan, the head of the NATO-led force. Gen. Greg Julian, the chief U.S. military spokeman in Afghanistan said Gen. Petraeus is in the country to conduct an initial assessment.

President Carter Meets With Hamas

Although he was advised not to, President Carter went ahead and met with Hamas on Monday. He said the Islamic group Hamas was willing to accept the Jewish state as a "neighbor next door". However, the militants did not match their upbeat words with concrete steps to halt violence. That is because they don't intend to. Their goal is to wipe Israel off the map and they won't be happy until they do. Hamas has repeatedly confounded observers with its conflicting messages. Actions on the ground such as seven rockets were fired on Israel from Hamas-ruled Gaza Monday, including one that wounded a 4 year old boy, contradicted the Islamic militant group's positive words about coexistence and a truce. I think President Carter wasted his time and the taxpayers money on a worthless trip.