Bob Hope and Bing Crosby made seven “ROAD TO _____” movies about two con men attempting to rescue themselves from ruin. The locations for these films were Singapore, Zanzibar Morocco, Utopia, Rio, Bali, and Hong Kong. Each was shot on the studio lot. Dorothy Lamour was the native love interest. Bing always ended up with the girl.

These comedies were pleasant diversions for the theater-goer, however Afghanistan was never slated for production with good reason. The landlocked country didn’t exist for Americans from 1941 to 1962, the time span of the ‘Road’ movies. Few Americans could point out Afghanistan in 2010, yet the Pentagon has committed over 100,000 troops to the war-torn nation in hopes of suppressing the Taliban, the de facto government. The puppet regime of President Karzai controls several cities by day and almost nothing by night. Hawks within the US military contend that the situation is still winnable, however the recent escalation of drone missile attacks in neighboring Pakistan has resulted in the temporary loss of a vital supply route.

Pakistan is outraged by our drones’ continuous incursion into their airspace.

Missiles killed border guards this week.

Insurgents attacked gas trucks in the previously calm Sindh district. No casualties, but total Mad Max End of Time destruction. 15 men with guns. NATO says no impact on the war effort.

Hah.

No gas. No mobility. No bullets. No war.

The British found themselves in the same situation in 1842.

Their army was destroyed in Gandamak Pass.

One survivor from a column of 15,000.

Winter is coming to the high plains of Afghanistan.

I have two friends shipping out to serve in Kandahar.

I advised them to seek the northern route out, if all goes bad.

“We’re good.”

And I hope that I’m wrong.

They are good men.

As were Bob Hope and Bing Crosby.