You can piss on my leg and tell me that it’s raining as long as you get the hell out.
For those who want to see a significant drawdown occur next year, pressing for that outcome on claims of success could be less politically dangerous for Obama than arguing that counterinsurgency backed by extra troops has not worked as promised. “It’s always better to call it success as opposed to failure,” the first official said.
Yes, call it a great victory and leave. That is a better plan than the alternative.
The assertions of success are tempered by two National Intelligence Estimates – one on Afghanistan and one on Pakistan – that were delivered to the White House and Congress shortly before Thanksgiving.
One U.S. official who has read the documents said the Afghanistan estimate warns that it will be difficult for the United States and its allies to prevail unless Pakistan roots out militant groups that take sanctuary within its borders. The Pakistan estimate concludes that it is unlikely the government in Islamabad will do so. “So you’re left with the question: Is the conclusion that we’re going to lose?” the official said.
Why, yes, the conclusion is that we’re going to lose. If we try to stay there forever, we will lose. Anyone who thinks the best use of our troops is in Afghanistan has been smoking too much hashish. Any honest, sentient human being knows this. The challenge is to act on it in the face of the most dishonest, opportunistic opposition in memory and the most cowardly allies on record. If we’re too afraid to back the president up on Gitmo and terror trials, just wait for the stiff spine of Democrats when the president announces we’re drawing our troops down in Afghanistan. Who wants to put the spine in the jello?
