Afghanistan: how utterly, boringly, tragically predictable

This is the American philosopher George Santayana, who observed that those who ignore the lessons of history are condemned to repeat them.

The disgusting Bliar and the absurd Bush, both ignorant of history despite having had very expensive educations, landed us by lying and subterfuge in military disasters.

Since the days of Alexander the Great who passed through but had the sense not to stop - and perhaps longer - the foolish have sent men to Afghanistan and lived, whilst other, finer men died, to regret it.

Now I see drugs are being smuggled into our military bases there.

What a surprise. Armies from countries where drug-taking is common right throughout society go to a country where providing the raw material for drugs is the only way farmers can make money.

These armies are fighting an unwinnable war in one of the most unpleasant climates on earth. What do they do in their spare time? Play chess? Discuss Jacobean tragedy? No; they are the beneficiaries of the great British and American educational systems, where - at the behest of the idiots in charge - history is no longer taught.

Vietnam all over again, but without girls.