One problem with having a serious military presence in a country like Afghanistan is that the local regime may never concern itself with its own security as long as we are there visibly underwriting it. We have to cut back to a visibly useless presence (diplomats, specifically programmed to evacuate rather than fight) before the local politicians will lift their heads from the trough to address the security and operation of their own state.

I was thinking yesterday that purpose of the otherwise incomprehensible election of a man like Obama as president of the US could be to send a related sort of ‘tough love’ message in spades. It would assert in no uncertain terms that a majority of the US electorate are serious about being unserious, thoroughly committed to being undependable, etc. Viewed from this point of view, Obama’s lack of experience, narrow left wing natural base and epic self-absorption become a feature rather than a bug.