Obama Should Spray The Taliban's Poppies, Rep. Kirk Asserts -- A Commentary

An Afghan soldier destroys opium poppies in a field in Nangarhar province,
east of Kabul, in April 2007. Photograph: Rahmat Gul

From Real Clear Politics:

President Barack Obama should wage an aggressive, "Colombia-style" offensive against opium production in Afghanistan, Rep. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) contends after returning from military service in the war zone.

Particularly, he said, Obama should reverse Bush administration policy -- and Obama's own reported preference -- and authorize aerial herbicide spraying of the farms of drug "kingpins" in order to shut down the major source of funding for Islamic extremists.

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