ME thinks a strange malady has overcome the corridors of power.

I don't I remember the headlines during the Cold War when America and Russia were jostling for strategic advantage by invading Afghanistan in turn with dismal success?

The poverty of the country and the wildness of all those mountains and prolifery of caves and hidden passages defeated them both and economic viability came into question.

Then why is Tony Blair and his entourage spending our money on a similar hopeless exercise? Not to mention the waste of lives.

This must surely be added to the debacle of Iraq in the catalogue of errors during which we missed millions in loss of stadia for the World Cup, handed over the remnants of our car industry to Germany, the Japanese had the rest, our shipping to the Americans and, thanks' to them our ship building to Germany!

JOHN WEBSTER, Southampton