To fight the war in Afghanistan America has a new secret weapon: Viagra!

The Afghan chieftain looked older than his 60-odd years, and his bearded face bore the creases of a man burdened with duties as tribal patriarch and husband to four younger women. His visitor, a CIA officer, saw an opportunity, and reached into his bag for a small gift.

Four blue pills. Viagra.

"Take one of these. You'll love it," the officer said. Compliments of Uncle Sam.

The enticement worked. The officer, who described the encounter, returned four days later to an enthusiastic reception. The grinning chief offered up a bonanza of information about Taliban movements and supply routes -- followed by a request for more pills.

For U.S. intelligence officials, this is how some crucial battles in Afghanistan are fought and won. While the CIA has a long history of buying information with cash, the growing Taliban insurgency has prompted the use of novel incentives and creative bargaining to gain support in some of the country's roughest neighborhoods, according to officials directly involved in such operations.

I heard this story on MSNBC this morning, and literally did a spit take with my morning coffee.

In the old days of the Cold War the CIA would send sexy women to seduce the enemy into providing crucial information. Nowadays we simply have "hard on in a bottle". I am not sure which approach I find the more disturbing.

I keep imagining these old Afghan chieftains running around with their dicks out trying to stick in any available orifice. It makes for a very comical image.

You know I am certainly not a prude, but giving men erections in exchange for information is just one of those things I guess I would rather not have known about. I would just love to see the reimbursement forms these agents must hand in.

"Well let's see Agent Smith, you asked for six Viagra pills, a tube of Ky jelly, and an inflatable sheep. You must be headed to either Afghanistan or a vacation in Las Vegas."

Well whatever will make these newly hardened men probe more aggressively for information which will allow our military to thrust deeply into the soft center of the Taliban honey pot must be a good thing I guess. (Sorry I could not resist. LOL!)