Kagan believes that the Obama administration have a real opportunity to make a difference. Can they do it? Or will the shadows win?

Kagan’s probably right, about having an opportunity to ‘make a difference’ in Afghanistan. However, when the cadres of the Obama administration hear the phrase ‘make a difference’, it’s not likely to be something altruistic like getting organized Muslim thugs off the backs of Afghan villagers.

In the lifetimes of those cadres, ‘making a difference’ always been far more like BEING the organized thugs who exploit the inner-city villagers of American urbs for end runs around American laws and institutions, to gain power and wealth and street armies for themselves.

They’ve just scored an unheard-of success with the monstrous ‘stimulus’ bill, and without much doubt expect to spend the next few years consolidating and expanding their own power bases in America.

Perhaps for window dressing, they’ll exploit those silly Red-state military volunteers for a few show operations overseas, always with the proviso that ‘negotiations’ will furnish eagerly-grabbed opportunities to declare victory and bug out.

But I don’t see anything altruistic about this administration yet. They have stuck it to the Man, and expect to reap the harvest for a long time coming.