By Bill O'Reilly

In a rare occurrence, elements on the left and on the right are now opposing the war in Afghanistan. Almost every poll says the same thing: The majority of Americans have now decided that the 10-year-old war isn't worth it anymore. So President Obama must take action, and Wednesday night he will announce how many troops he will withdraw from the Afghan theater.

On the right, Fox strategic analyst Col. Ralph Peters thinks the mission is ill-conceived and that the president is playing politics:

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LT. COL. RALPH PETERS, FOX NEWS STRATEGIC ANALYST: The president's goal in Afghanistan and dealing with Pakistan is very straightforward. It is to keep the lid on things until November 2012, no matter what happens, no matter how many soldiers are killed or maimed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

On the left, John Hockenberry said this on NPR:

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN HOCKENBERRY, NPR HOST: I'm wondering why this is even a debate. The Taliban has never been an enemy of the United States. I mean, they don't love us. They don't love us in Afghanistan. But they are not sending planes over to New York or to the Pentagon.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

No, they don't send planes to New York. The Taliban allows Al Qaeda the resources to hijack planes into New York. Mr. Hockenberry must have a very short memory.

To refresh it, the reason the United States and NATO continue to fight in Afghanistan is to make sure the Taliban do not come back and seize power in that country. The Taliban are on the defensive now and many of them are hiding in neighboring Pakistan, a frustrating situation because as soon as Western forces pull out, they will come back.

And then there's the Afghan government, run by the corrupt Hamid Karzai, a certified moron. Not only do his own people despise him, but he has alienated this country, which has spent more than a half-trillion dollars trying to bring a semblance of freedom to Afghanistan. Call me cynical, but I believe Karzai has already made a down payment on a multimillion-dollar flat in London. The guy is a classic corrupt bureaucrat.

"Talking Points" does not have enough time or information to tell you what President Obama should do in Afghanistan, but I will say this: Gen. Petraeus is the key. Whatever he says, Mr. Obama should do. The general turned it around in Iraq, and since he has taken over in Afghanistan, the situation has improved dramatically there. So, Mr. President, stick with Petraeus, even if you have to take a political hit.

And that's "The Memo."

Pinheads & Patriots

The power of the president is obvious, even to newborn babies.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(BABY CRYING)

MICHELLE OBAMA, FIRST LADY: Oh.

PRESIDENT OBAMA: Come on, baby. Come on.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

That's it. Baby stops crying. So I believe the baby is a patriot for calming down at exactly the right moment.

Also, a special mention. The Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation helps American military amputees by building custom homes for them. So if you would like more information on this very, very good charity, please dial up TunneltoTowersRun.org. It's a very good charity.

— You can catch Bill O'Reilly's "Talking Points Memo" and "Pinheads & Patriots" weeknights at 8 and 11 p.m. ET on the Fox News Channel and any time on foxnews.com/oreilly. Send your comments to: oreilly@foxnews.com.