AJR reports today that the The New York Times' Afghanistan bureau consists entirely of stringer Carlotta Gall. (Newsweek and the WaPo are the only agencies with full-time reporters there.) Gall says she "has been pleasantly surprised by the 'continuing interest of readers and editors.'"

But, really, why even have a stringer in Afghanistan? Didn't we take care of that already? How about this headline: Afghanistan: who needs it? Now that we've totally nailed this state-building thing and the Afghanis are all spilling Chateau Lafite '59 on their Savile Row suits, getting chauffeured around in their limos, buying summer villas in Tuscany and sending their kids to Harvard, do we really need to cover them? We might as well just drive to Connecticut. It seems like only yesterday that they couldn't even vote! (And just think: this time next year, Baghdad will be exactly like that!)
[via Romenesko]