Richard Holbrooke: “The words 'Kerry-Lugar' have become a symbol of American support for Pakistan in the emergency.”

Why are we in Afghanistan? The short, simple answer is: 9/11, direct threats to our national security interests.

We are spending the money you've authorized for us to create a justice system which can cut into the Taliban's propaganda about corruption and lack of a justice system.

We have ended poppy eradication, a radical change, because all we were doing by eradicating poppy seeds--poppy crops--was driving farmers--poor farmers--into the hands of the Taliban.

Afghanistan cannot go forward unless the international community, led by its greatest nation, the United States, continues to fulfill its commitments in the area, beyond combat troops.