Moving troops from Iraq to Afghanistan was good politics for the presidential campaign. It spoke to people who felt that the War in Iraq was a mistake from the start, while ameliorating hawks' concerns that Obama was a pacifist. But now Obama can't change his Afghanistan policy without a lot of political fallout.
Is increasing our military commitment to Afghanistan the right policy? It's a close call. I sense that Obama is privately much more apprehensive about it than he is letting out.
- Jon
Comments
Great point about Obama's apprehension. I forget who it was, it might have been David Gregory, who asked Obama what his most difficult decision had been in the White House after only a month or so. Gregory said that the President responded without hesitation that it was increasing the American troop contingent by 10,000 (the first of several subsequent increases). Clearly he knows there's no short-term military solution, and a political solution is all the more unlikely as long as Karzai is corrupt and the Taliban have a free reign in the south. Also have to point out that the situation can't be disassociated from what's happening in Afghanistan. I think it’s going to be a really tragic story for some time to come irrespective of US policy and despite a very fragile democratic process.
I don't see any sort of success in Afghanistan unless Pakistan's military is on board. I don't envy Obama or Clinton right now.
