From PRI, Public Radio International and KCRW Santa Monica, this is To the Point.

Will Afghanistan be President Obama's Vietnam?

Hello again, I'm Warren Olney, and this is To the Point from Public Radio International,

a daily look at the issues Americans care about most.

The president is sending more soldiers and changing commanders. Some conservatives praise him for starting

to nation build. But powerful Democrats want to know. Is he making an open-ended commitment that

can't be sustained, like previous presidents in Vietnam? Obama says the real issue is the threat from al-Qaeda.

But even General David Petraeus says

Al-Qaeda is now totally in Pakistan.

Is the war still legal?

Will more violence be counterproductive,

especially if there are increased civilian casualties?

On reporter's notebook later on, Tiananmen Square,

the inside story. First, here's the news.

Support for To the Point comes from subscribers of KCRW Santa Monica and from the Public Radio

International Program Fund, whose contributors include the Ford Foundation and the John D. and

Catherine T. McArthur Foundation. Hello again. Warren Alney, back with

To the Poet. With new commanders in a focus on counterinsurgency, President Obama is making Afghanistan

his war. With Al-Qaeda, now next door in Pakistan, what are the goals? Will Democrats agree

they're sustainable and worth the cost in troops and money? On reporter's notebook, the Communist

Party chief ousted for trying to avoid blood

in Tiananmen Square left a memoir. We'll hear what went on behind the scenes. First this news

...