According to two new reports by a leading Afghanistan watcher at the Naval Postgraduate School, "the Taliban blow us away" in getting its message out to the Afghan public by using poetry and music -- means the United States does…

Afghan President Hamid Karzai defined seven parts of the country that he says are ready to transition to Afghan control in July, when U.S. military troops begin a phased-out withdrawal. The areas include the capital of the troubled Helmand…