Both campaigns defeated the enemy. In 1991 Saddam's forces suffered an overwhelming military defeat. That's the reason he hasn't been causing more trouble these last 12 years. The politics are more to do with America's mercy toward a defeated foe and the UN's lack of will and incompetence.
The Taliban and Al Qaeda forces were routed and removed from Afghanstan and a provisional UN sponsored government is in the process of rebuilding the country and attempting to unite the disparate groups into a National framework.
Bin Laden along with his forces suffered an humiliating defeat at the hands of the US.
At this time the US for it's own purposes may be dissimulating. It's quite possible that Bin Laden was vaporised, courtesy of a US bomb in a lonely cave somewhere in the Bora Bora's. I accept the view that the purported Bin Laden messages give the US a tangible demon.ie. the more he appears to pop up the more support the US Administration will get.
Anything going on now are just skirmishes with small groups of Taliban or it's sympathisers. The Yanks may have to drop an occasional 500 pounder on them but troops from NATO will soon handle all the interim security.(Until an Afghani national army is formed).
The reconstruction really is the task of the UN anyway. The yanks have finished the task of smashing Al Qaeda in Afghanistan and in the process also removed the Taliban.
