"It may not be until maybe a year, or two years from now before we fully understand the impact of the deal-making that was done, in order to secure these voting blocs in places like Qandahar,Helmand, where the insurgency has really taken control, and where the government is the weakest and it has the weakest bargaining position."

VOA: standard.2009.08.03

And now it may head to Afghanistan, but maybe not until early next year.

NPR: How Many U.S. Troops Needed In Iraq, Afghanistan?

He knows he probably has only one go at this and, certainly until now, most serious Tories have accepted that his job was to slash the Labour majority, maybe even land Tony Blair with a dangerously slim lead in the Commons.

BBC: NEWS | UK | Politics | Howard's 100 day anniversary hope