As Wretchard and others stated, the goal is to deny Afghanistan as a terrorist base. Administration policy is built on the unstated and unquestioned supposition that totally remaking Afghanistan into something akin to a liberal democracy is the best way to do this.

The only reason Obama said while campaigning he would increase our effort in Afghanistan was to address the thought that, given his statements about Iraq, Iran, NoKo and Venezuela, that he would be weak internationally–he would show that there was som issue on which he would be assertive. This position is totally inconsistent with everything else about him, except its political expediency at the time.

The fact that he seems to be sticking with it suggests he fears a “Who Lost China?” blowback after we pull out of Iraq and start compromising with Iran et al and if not exactly throw Israel off teh boat, greatly weaken our support, with bad consequences. He hopes a strong Afghan presence would let him counter all that, as he pursues the domestic agenda that really motivates him.

So, my guess is he will deal with Iran or Russia re logistics, and hope they don’t put the screws to him too visibly, because Afghanistan is his (only?) foreign policy “Get out of jail free” card. By late 2012 all his domestic agenda will be in place and he’ll be re-elected, then it won’t matter so much and he can abandon his Afghan clients to their fates, and make good his promises to Iran or Russia, as well.

A few hundred troops who died only to buy him time domestically, will not bother him in the slightest.