The Afghan papers

Based on news accounts, the revelations contained in tens of thousands of secret military documents provided to WikiLeaks.org do not differ dramatically from the perception that Americans have of the war in Afghanistan and how their government has and is pursuing it.

The documents suggest pervasive corruption at all levels of the Afghan government and demonstrate that police are particularly untrustworthy. The reports show the difficulty that allies face in pursuing the enemy without causing casualties among, and alienating, the civilian population.

The frustration of the military during the Bush years, when Iraq was the priority and the resources necessary to get the job done were lacking, is evident. So too is the irritation over highly restrictive rules of engagement, intended to protect innocent Afghans, now employed under the current policy.

None of this is surprising.

Comparisons with the Pentagon Papers are off base. That top-secret Department of Defense report leaked in 1971 to The New York Times showed the U.S. government had lied to the American people about the expansion of the Vietnam War and that the executive branch had misled Congress.

While some facts about the Afghan campaign have been shaded, the new documents show, nothing suggests the level of subterfuge practiced by successive administrations during the Vietnam War.

Most troubling are extensive claims in the documents that the Pakistani intelligence service continues to play both sides, bolstering the Taliban while giving lip service to the allied cause in Afghanistan. The administration insists those characterizations are overblown and Pakistan is a key and largely supportive ally. Congress needs to aggressively question that assessment.

While not shocking, the WikiLeaks documents could prove influential if for no other reason than they confirm the worst fears about how difficult is this military and diplomatic undertaking. But the current strategy deserves a chance to work, before any judgments are made about lost causes.