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The following editorial first appeared in the Dallas Morning News:

Opponents of a U.S. troop buildup in Afghanistan no doubt will find lots of fodder in last week's headlines. October was the deadliest month since 2001 for American forces. The CIA reportedly had a top Afghan figure on its payroll, despite his suspected links to drugs traffickers and the Taliban. And the Obama administration was floating yet another revised revision of military plans to address the deteriorating situation there.

Yes, the violence is getting worse, as should be expected after the Taliban was left free to rebuild during the years U.S. forces were bogged down in Iraq. But leaving Afghanistan or reducing the number of troops is hardly the way to make the Taliban or al-Qaida stand down. Gen. Stanley McChrystal, commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan, is asking for 40,000 or more additional troops to reverse the Taliban's ascendancy. Despite the prospects of even more U.S. casualties, we support his plan because the alternatives would lead to far worse outcomes.

The Obama administration reportedly is considering options that would grant McChrystal's request but focus on securing 10 population centers around the country. If that means putting U.S. troops on the streets of major Afghan cities, it's a nonstarter. The Taliban's strength is in the countryside, and putting U.S. troops in towns and cities where the Taliban has minimal presence would be an invitation for insurgents to move in. Urban centers have high concentrations of cars, trucks and buildings. If the experience in Iraq offered one lesson, it's that cars, trucks and buildings are optimal hiding places for the bombs that kill U.S. troops.

The best way to convey clarity and conviction is by sending a consistent message to the Afghan people. Washington cannot credibly urge them to crack down on corruption, oppose drug trafficking and fend off the Taliban while the CIA appears to be feeding those same beasts. Last week's New York Times report that the CIA has on its payroll the Afghan president's brother, Ahmed Wali Karzai, suggests that the CIA is working at cross-purposes to the U.S. military and State Department.

Where all this is leading, we can't say. And that's the problem. The Obama administration is conveying an image of disarray at a time when it should be sending a clear message that America has a well-defined mission, a clear plan to execute it and the unwavering conviction to see it through.